Women's Treatment for Trauma and Substance Use Disorders

NIDA Clinical Trials Network

This NIDA-funded clinical trial used a randomized, controlled, repeated measures design to assess the effectiveness of Seeking Safety (SS) compared with a control treatment (Women’s Health Education, WHE), in addition to standard outpatient substance abuse treatment on psychiatric symptoms and substance use outcomes. Seeking Safety is an integrated cognitive-behavior therapy for the treatment of PTSD and substance use disorders. Women’s Health education was developed for this trial to serve as a credible comparison with the rationale being the connection between trauma and physical health issues.

Participants were women receiving treatment at community substance abuse programs at six sites across the country. Participating sites included The Village in Miami, FL; Gateway Community Services in Jacksonville, FL; Charleston Center in Charleston, SC; Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation in Brooklyn, NY; Maryhaven, Inc. in Columbus, OH; and Residence XII in Kirkland, WA.

This study aimed to: assess the effectiveness of adding two psychosocial interventions to on-going substance abuse treatment and to evaluate the application of the treatment in community settings when delivered by clinicians in the community.

St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, including the Women's Health Project Treatment and Research Center and The Addiction Institute of New York (www.addictioninstituteny.org), is part of the Long Island Regional Node, one of 14 research/community treatment programs partnerships around the country.

The Addiction Institute at St. Luke's/Roosevelt Hospital also completed a nicotine study examining the effectiveness for a smoking cessation intervention. Other studies within the Long Island Node include an HIV prevention study for men and women at Princes Bay Methadone Maintenance Clinic, a motivational enhancement study with Spanish speakers at Narco Freedom in the Bronx, and a Buprenorphine study at North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System. You may log on to the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network at www.drugabuse.gov for more information about the CTN.