Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Children and Youth Services Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth Caregiver problem drinking and trajectories of post-traumatic stress among youth Orion Mowbray a, ⁎ , Mariam Fatehi a , Porter Jennings-McGarity b , Claudette Grinnell-Davis c , Jennifer Elkins a a University of Georgia School of Social Work, 279 Williams St., Athens, GA 30605, USA b Austin Peay State University, Department of Social Work, Clement Building Room CL 109, P. O. Box 4656, Clarksville, TN 37044, USA c Anne & Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, University of Oklahoma (Tulsa Campus), 4502 E. 41st St., Tulsa, OK 74135, USA ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Youth trauma Parental alcohol use Post-traumatic stress ABSTRACT Youth raised by a caregiver experiencing harmful effects associated with alcohol use may experience multiple types of adversity. While the association between caregiver problem drinking and child maltreatment are well established, there is little knowledge on how caregiver problem drinking relates to trajectories of post-traumatic stress over time in youth who are at-risk or are involved in the child welfare system. Using data from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), this study examined scores from the Trauma Symptom Checklist for youth at ages 8, 12 and 16. Controlling for caregiver depression, child behavioral health, and sociodemographics, results show that post-traumatic stress symptoms significantly decline over time for both groups, but youth of caregivers with problem drinking are more likely to report post-traumatic stress at age 16 in comparison to youth of caregivers with no problem drinking. These results can assist practitioners in identifying specific time points where tailored, trauma-informed, collaborative systems interventions can be developed to reduce the problems associated with youth post-traumatic stress. 1. Introduction The ability to cope with life stressors and adversity in youth de- velops in an environment of supportive relationships with caregivers, resulting in a healthy stress response system (Center on the Developing Child, 2019). However, adverse experiences can create circumstances that may prevent healthy development, and as a result, produce lifelong health impairments resulting from stressors. These experiences, in- cluding excessive alcohol use and subsequent problems associated with use in caregivers, increases the risk for stress-related disease and cog- nitive impairment in adulthood (Center on the Developing Child, 2019; Smith, Johnson, Pears, Fisher, & DeGarmo, 2007; Wall, Wekerle, & Bissonnette, 2000). Problem drinking is defined as the negative effects associated with alcohol use, including the perceived need to cut down on alcohol use, annoyance by the criticism from others concerning al- cohol use, feelings of guilt associated with alcohol use, and the con- sumption of alcohol early in the day (O’Brien, 2008). While the association between caregiver problem drinking and child maltreatment are well stablished (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [US. DHHS], 2017), there is little knowledge on how caregiver problem drinking relates to trajectories of post-traumatic stress over time for youth, including youth at-risk for entry, or youth who are currently involved in the child welfare system. This lack of knowledge can have implications for practice which include the de- velopment of trauma-informed, collaborative systems interventions to reduce the problems associated with post-traumatic stress and caregiver problem drinking, which may overlap. This study examines this area by using nationally representative longitudinal data from both caregivers and youth at-risk for entry, or who are currently involved in the child welfare system. 1.1. Post-traumatic stress and trajectories over time While many youth at-risk for entry, or who are currently involved in the child welfare system have experienced multiple forms of adverse maltreatment, such as witnessing domestic violence, neglect, physical and sexual abuse. However, few are screened for trauma exposure and trauma symptoms (Greeson et al., 2011). Existing research has identi- fied the association between childhood trauma and chronic adversity across the lifespan (D'Andrea, Ford, Stolbach, Spinazzola, & van der Kolk, 2012; Fratto, 2016). Evidence shows that youth at-risk for entry, or who are currently involved in the child welfare system often https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105171 Received 26 March 2020; Received in revised form 10 June 2020; Accepted 11 June 2020 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: omowbray@uga.edu (O. Mowbray). Children and Youth Services Review 116 (2020) 105171 Available online 15 June 2020 0190-7409/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T