A cross-sectional case-control study is an observational study design that combines elements of both cross-sectional and case-control methodologies.

A study that:

• Compares individuals with a particular condition (cases) to those without it (controls).
• Collects data on exposures and outcomes at a single point in time.
• Aims to find associations, not causality.

Study investigating the relationship between childhood trauma and alcohol use disorder:

• 'Cases': Patients with alcohol use disorder
• 'Controls': Individuals without alcohol use disorder
• 'Data': Collected at one time using structured interviews

• Relatively quick and inexpensive
• Useful for studying rare outcomes
• Good for hypothesis generation

• Cannot establish causality
• Risk of recall and selection bias
• Unclear temporal relationship between exposure and outcome