A network analysis of early trauma and impulsive behavior in individuals with mono- and poly-dependence of alcohol and crack cocaine.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between impulsivity and early trauma through a network analysis in individuals diagnosed with different substance use disorders (SUD).

Methods: This cross-sectional study includes a sample of 556 men with SUD (195 with alcohol use, 157 with crack cocaine use and 214 with multiple substance use). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was applied to investigate early trauma and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale to assess impulsive behavior. The connection between trauma and impulsivity was assessed using network analysis through Fused Graphical Lasso algorithm.

Results: No connection was observed between impulsivity and trauma networks in individuals with alcohol use. In cocaine users, networks were linked through the motor domain and sexual abuse nodes. Inversely connections were observed between emotional neglect node and perseverance and not planning nodes. In poly-use, the connection between impulsivity and trauma networks was weak, with cognitive complexity being the node that connects to the trauma network through physical abuse. There were inversely proportional connections between motor domain and emotional neglect nodes, and cognitive instability and physical neglect.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that the relationship between the type of early (childhood) trauma and the expression of impulsivity could lead to a different substance use profile.