The Impact of Trauma Narrative Treatment on Mandated Substance Abuse Groups

Abstract

This paper discusses the comorbid condition of substance use disorders and trauma. Mandated DUI offenders are ordered by the courts to attend state treatment centers. Most mandated treatment centers do not have mental health professionals who are qualified to diagnose the severity of substance use disorders or comorbid conditions. The literature shows that many individuals suffer from co-occurring conditions of substance use disorder and trauma. The purpose of this study was to determine if introducing Trauma Narrative Treatment into mandated substance abuse groups would show a reduction in substance abuse symptoms and trauma symptoms. The sample consisted of 184 participants recruited using simple random sampling from state mandated substance use centers within the metropolitan Atlanta region covering multiple jurisdictions and was equally divided between the treatment group for those who agreed to participate in the intervention and the control group for those who did not. Participants were administered a Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) and Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-40) before and six-months after the treatment. MANOVA and post-hoc ANOVAs were conducted to assess the potential effect of treatment on substance use and trauma symptoms. The results revealed a significant improvement in trauma symptoms after TNT was introduced over the course of the session. Also, there was a significant improvement in substance use symptoms after the session regardless of whether TNT was administered. Based on the results of this study, TNT should be integrated with an efficient version of substance use curriculum to address both trauma symptoms and substance abuse symptoms in mandated substance use groups.