Substance use patterns predicted worse PTSD and depression trajectories after trauma exposure
Among 1,618 recently trauma-exposed civilians, people who already used cannabis or alcohol heavily had worse PTSD and depression symptoms at baseline, with symptoms peaking around 8 weeks before declining.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Using latent class mixture modeling, researchers identified three trajectory classes for both alcohol and cannabis use: low, high, and increasing use. High cannabis users had significantly worse PTSD and depression symptoms at baseline compared to low users. All groups showed symptom increases peaking at week 8 followed by decline at week 12.
Key Numbers
1,618 participants (1,037 female); three trajectory classes per substance (low, high, increasing use); PTSD and depression symptoms peaked at week 8 across groups; symptoms declined by week 12
How They Did This
Longitudinal study of 1,618 trauma-exposed civilians (1,037 female) recruited from emergency departments. Self-reported alcohol and cannabis use and clinical symptoms were assessed at baseline and at 2, 8, and 12 weeks posttrauma. Latent class mixture modeling identified substance use trajectories.
Why This Research Matters
Understanding how substance use patterns relate to post-trauma mental health trajectories could help clinicians identify who is most at risk for developing chronic PTSD and depression after a traumatic event.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that pre-existing substance use patterns predict post-trauma symptom severity and trajectories supports the idea that substance use may reduce resilience to trauma, creating a self-reinforcing cycle.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Self-reported substance use; 12-week follow-up may be too short to capture long-term trajectories; cannot determine whether substance use causes worse symptoms or whether shared risk factors drive both; emergency department recruitment may not represent all trauma-exposed individuals
Questions This Raises
- ?Would early intervention targeting substance use in trauma-exposed individuals improve PTSD outcomes?
- ?Why did symptoms peak at 8 weeks, and does this timing window offer a critical intervention opportunity?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 1,618 trauma-exposed civilians tracked for 12 weeks
- Evidence Grade:
- Large multi-site longitudinal study with sophisticated trajectory modeling, though limited by self-report and 12-week follow-up.
- Study Age:
- 2024 study
- Original Title:
- Associations of alcohol and cannabis use with change in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms over time in recently trauma-exposed individuals.
- Published In:
- Psychological medicine, 54(2), 338-349 (2024)
- Authors:
- Hinojosa, Cecilia A, Liew, Amanda, An, Xinming(4), Stevens, Jennifer S, Basu, Archana, van Rooij, Sanne J H, House, Stacey L, Beaudoin, Francesca L, Zeng, Donglin, Neylan, Thomas C, Clifford, Gari D, Jovanovic, Tanja, Linnstaedt, Sarah D, Germine, Laura T, Rauch, Scott L, Haran, John P, Storrow, Alan B, Lewandowski, Christopher, Musey, Paul I, Hendry, Phyllis L, Sheikh, Sophia, Jones, Christopher W, Punches, Brittany E, Kurz, Michael C, Swor, Robert A, Hudak, Lauren A, Pascual, Jose L, Seamon, Mark J, Datner, Elizabeth M, Chang, Anna M, Pearson, Claire, Peak, David A, Merchant, Roland C, Domeier, Robert M, Rathlev, Niels K, Sergot, Paulina, Sanchez, Leon D, Bruce, Steven E, Miller, Mark W, Pietrzak, Robert H, Joormann, Jutta, Pizzagalli, Diego A, Sheridan, John F, Harte, Steven E, Elliott, James M, Kessler, Ronald C, Koenen, Karestan C, McLean, Samuel A, Ressler, Kerry J, Fani, Negar
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05378
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
How did cannabis use affect recovery from trauma?
People who were already heavy cannabis users before their traumatic event had significantly worse PTSD and depression symptoms from the start. Their symptoms, like those of other groups, peaked around 8 weeks after the trauma before beginning to decline at 12 weeks.
Did some people increase substance use after trauma?
Yes. The analysis identified an "increasing use" trajectory class for both cannabis and alcohol, representing people who escalated their substance use following trauma. These individuals also showed elevated PTSD and depression symptoms.
Read More on RethinkTHC
- anxiety-leaving-house-weed-withdrawal-agoraphobia
- anxiety-response-technique-weed-withdrawal
- anxiety-toolkit-weed-withdrawal
- anxiety-worse-after-quitting-weed
- breathing-exercises-weed-withdrawal-anxiety
- cannabis-induced-anxiety
- does-weed-help-anxiety
- grounding-techniques-weed-withdrawal
- health-anxiety-weed-withdrawal
- manage-anxiety-without-weed
- quitting-weed-anxiety-disorder
- quitting-weed-anxiety-medication-ssri
- self-medicating-anxiety-with-weed
- therapy-quitting-weed-anxiety
- weed-and-anxiety
- weed-biphasic-effect-anxiety
- weed-generalized-anxiety-disorder
- weed-panic-attacks
- weed-paranoia
- weed-social-anxiety
- weed-tolerance-anxiety-stopped-working
- weed-withdrawal-anxiety
- weed-withdrawal-panic-attacks-night
- weed-withdrawal-work-anxiety
- withdrawal-anxiety-vs-real-anxiety
Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05378APA
Hinojosa, Cecilia A; Liew, Amanda; An, Xinming; Stevens, Jennifer S; Basu, Archana; van Rooij, Sanne J H; House, Stacey L; Beaudoin, Francesca L; Zeng, Donglin; Neylan, Thomas C; Clifford, Gari D; Jovanovic, Tanja; Linnstaedt, Sarah D; Germine, Laura T; Rauch, Scott L; Haran, John P; Storrow, Alan B; Lewandowski, Christopher; Musey, Paul I; Hendry, Phyllis L; Sheikh, Sophia; Jones, Christopher W; Punches, Brittany E; Kurz, Michael C; Swor, Robert A; Hudak, Lauren A; Pascual, Jose L; Seamon, Mark J; Datner, Elizabeth M; Chang, Anna M; Pearson, Claire; Peak, David A; Merchant, Roland C; Domeier, Robert M; Rathlev, Niels K; Sergot, Paulina; Sanchez, Leon D; Bruce, Steven E; Miller, Mark W; Pietrzak, Robert H; Joormann, Jutta; Pizzagalli, Diego A; Sheridan, John F; Harte, Steven E; Elliott, James M; Kessler, Ronald C; Koenen, Karestan C; McLean, Samuel A; Ressler, Kerry J; Fani, Negar. (2024). Associations of alcohol and cannabis use with change in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms over time in recently trauma-exposed individuals.. Psychological medicine, 54(2), 338-349. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723001642
MLA
Hinojosa, Cecilia A, et al. "Associations of alcohol and cannabis use with change in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms over time in recently trauma-exposed individuals.." Psychological medicine, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291723001642
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Associations of alcohol and cannabis use with change in post..." RTHC-05378. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/hinojosa-2024-associations-of-alcohol-and
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.