A Trauma Model of Substance Use: Elaboration and Preliminary Validation

The proposed model, based on the self-medication hypothesis, suggests that experiences of neglect and abuse during childhood can lead to substance use and abuse both directly and indirectly, via dissociation resulting from failed attempts to integrate experiences of maltreatment in childhood. Although no single pathway can fully explain the origins of substance abuse, the current study provides evidence of a critical developmental pathway to it, with implications for theory and clinical practice.