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Examination of a novel measure of trauma‐related drinking to cope
Author(s) -
Hawn Sage E.,
Aggen Steven H.,
Cusack Shan E.,
Dick Danielle,
Amstadter Ananda B.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22972
Subject(s) - psychology , structural equation modeling , coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , posttraumatic stress , alcohol consumption , coping behavior , psychiatry , alcohol , biochemistry , statistics , chemistry , mathematics
Objectives The present study sought to fill a gap in the current literature by developing a concise self‐report questionnaire assessing drinking motives specific to coping with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This new four‐item questionnaire is called the Trauma Related Drinking questionnaire (TRD). Method Using structural equation modeling, the latent structure of the TRD items and how they relate to other variables of interest were explored among a sample of 1,896 college undergraduates from a large public university. Results Broadly, we found evidence to suggest that TRD is a more specific measure of drinking to cope motives compared to the commonly used Drinking Motives Questionnaire coping subscale. Additionally, findings demonstrate support for the external validation of TRD, both with regard to PTSD and alcohol consumption and related problems. Conclusions Results support the use of TRD in future self‐medication research and as a clinically useful screening tool.