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Abstract: 

Growing recognition of the extent of exposure to psychological trauma among adolescents in treatment for substance use disorders and the trauma’s potential to compromise treatment effectiveness has led to the development of new interventions and the adaptation of existing ones to address the impact of traumatic stress on the lives and recovery of substance using adolescents. Trauma-sensitive interventions can help youth understand how stressful life experiences influence their choices about drug use and can teach them positive coping skills and problem-solving or emotional management skills that promote sustained recovery from addiction. This article reviews the current literature on the psychosocial interventions for the treatment of traumatic stress problems, including simple and complex posttraumatic stress disorder and associated disorders, among substance using adolescents and discusses several promising interventions, including adolescent adaptations of interventions that were originally developed for adults with co-occurring substance use and trauma-related disorders.

Keywords: PTSD and adolescents, youth substance abuse, complex trauma, trauma-based models, dysregulation.

Affiliations:  1: University of Connecticut Health Center; 2: University of Connecticut Health Center Child Trauma Clinic.