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Posttraumatic stress symptoms and alcohol problems: self-medication or trait vulnerability?
Jennifer P Read1, Jennifer E Merrill, Melissa J Griffin
1Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York.
The American Journal on Addictions
|September 5, 2014
Summary
Behavioral disconstraint, a personality trait, links posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) to alcohol problems. This suggests a trait vulnerability model may explain the co-occurrence of PTSD and alcohol misuse.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) and problem alcohol use (ALC) frequently co-occur.
- The relationship between PTSD and ALC is not fully understood.
- Explanations include self-medication, negative emotionality, and behavioral disconstraint.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively test three models of PTSD-ALC co-occurrence: Self-Medication, Trait Vulnerability, and Combined Dual Pathway.
- To investigate the role of negative emotionality and behavioral disconstraint in the PTSD-ALC relationship.
- To examine the prospective relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol problems in a college sample.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study with 659 college students (73% female, mean age 18).
- Data collected at college matriculation (Time 1) and one year later (Time 2).
- Structural equation modeling used to analyze prospective relationships.
Main Results:
- Behavioral disconstraint mediated the prospective relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol problems, supporting a trait vulnerability model.
- Findings for negative emotionality and self-medication were mixed.
- Negative emotionality's impact was stronger in cross-sectional than prospective analyses, highlighting temporal proximity.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral disconstraint is a key factor in the prospective link between PTSD and alcohol problems.
- Self-regulation skills may be crucial for clinical interventions targeting co-occurring PTSD and alcohol misuse.
- Future research should consider the temporal dynamics of emotionality in PTSD-ALC.
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