Trastorno por estrés postraumático y alcoholismo: una revisión de la literatura de los últimos 20 años
Resumen
Introducción: El trastorno por estrés postraumático (TEPT) y el trastorno por consumo de alcohol (AUD, por sus siglas en inglés) son comorbilidades frecuentes que afectan de forma significativa la salud mental de personas expuestas a traumas por un tiempo prolongado. Objetivo: Analizar la relación entre TEPT y AUD en mayores de 18 años. Método: Se buscó en EBSCO, PubMed, ScienceDirect y BVS, utilizando los siguientes términos “PTSD AND Alcoholism”, “Alcohol Dependence”, y “Alcohol Use Disorder”. Se seleccionaron veintiún estudios originales publicados entre 2005 y 2025, en inglés y español, en revistas revisadas por pares. Se incluyeron 384 100 participantes de seis países, principalmente Estados Unidos. Resultados: Encontramos una asociación relevante entre TEPT y AUD, en poblaciones vulnerables como veteranos militares, mujeres expuestas a trauma sexual y estudiantes afectados por conflictos armados. Se observaron diferencias según el género: las mujeres con TEPT, viudas, divorciadas o solteras, presentaron mayor prevalencia de AUD, asociada a desregulación emocional y menor red de apoyo. En la población militar, factores como el tipo de trauma o el tiempo de servicio, influyeron en la severidad del consumo. En Colombia, aspectos contextuales consecuencia del conflicto armado pueden haber modulado la expresión sintomática y las estrategias de afrontamiento, incluyendo un posible subregistro del alcoholismo. Discusión y conclusiones: La relación entre TEPT y AUD es compleja, multifactorial y mediada por variables individuales, sociales y culturales. El trauma sexual está íntimamente relacionado con el alcoholismo en mujeres militares, y se subraya la necesidad de enfoques terapéuticos integrales que consideren el tipo de impacto emocional, el contexto sociocultural y las diferencias de género para un abordaje más efectivo de esta comorbilidad.
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