Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Association With Subsequent Risky and Problem Drinking Initiation

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unhealthy alcohol use frequently co-occur.
• The specific PTSD symptoms that may predict the onset of unhealthy alcohol use remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and symptom clusters and the subsequent initiation of unhealthy alcohol use.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal data from 151,567 military personnel in the Millennium Cohort Study (2001-2012) were analyzed.
• Complementary log-log models assessed associations between PTSD symptoms/clusters and initiation of risky or problem drinking.
• Models were adjusted for covariates including other PTSD symptoms and demographic, service, and health characteristics.

Main Results:

• Irritability/anger was the only PTSD symptom associated with increased initiation of risky drinking.
• Two symptom clusters (dysphoric arousal, emotional numbing) and five symptoms (restricted affect, foreshortened future, exaggerated startle, sleep disturbance, irritability/anger) were linked to subsequent problem drinking initiation.

Conclusions:

• Specific posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and symptom clusters are associated with the subsequent initiation of unhealthy alcohol use.
• Findings identify key PTSD symptom targets for preventing unhealthy alcohol use in military populations.