An integrated personalized feedback intervention for community adults with hazardous alcohol use, elevated anxiety...

Hazardous drinking and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occur and lead to greater impairment and dysfunction than either condition alone. Anxiety sensitivity (AS; i.e., the fear of the anxiety-related sensations and consequences) is a transdiagnostic risk factor for hazardous drinking and PTSD that may serve to inform novel, integrated intervention development for these co-occurring conditions. However, an integrated intervention to specifically target AS in the context of hazardous drinking and PTSD symptoms has not yet been developed or tested. The present study aimed to develop and test the acceptability and efficacy of an integrated, novel computer-based personalized feedback intervention (PFI) in a sample of community adults with hazardous drinking, at least subclinical PTSD symptoms, and elevated AS. Participants (N = 101; M_age = 31.7) were randomized to either an integrated PFI condition (n = 50) focused on PTSD, AS, and alcohol, or an active comparison condition (n = 51) focused exclusively on alcohol use. Compared to the active comparison condition, acceptability ratings were greater for the integrated condition. Latent growth curve models found that participants in both conditions reported statistically significant reductions in alcohol-related cravings/urges and intention to reduce drinking. Participants randomized to the integrated condition reported statistically significantly lower PTSD symptom severity and average daily drinking quantity as well as greater motivation to reduce drinking over time relative to participants in the active comparison condition. Findings provide preliminary support for an integrated approach targeting PTSD, AS, and hazardous drinking, and underscore the need for their continued development.