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PTSD symptoms, hazardous drinking, and health functioning among U.S.OEF and OIF veterans presenting to primary care
Author(s) -
McDevittMurphy Meghan E.,
Williams Joah L.,
Bracken Katherine L.,
Fields Jordan A.,
Monahan Christopher J.,
Murphy James G.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20482
Subject(s) - veterans affairs , psychiatry , mental health , mediation , medicine , occupational safety and health , suicide prevention , poison control , injury prevention , clinical psychology , psychology , environmental health , pathology , political science , law
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol abuse both are negatively associated with health, and alcohol misuse may mediate the relationship between PTSD and functional health outcomes. The present study tested for such mediation using self‐report measures of PTSD symptoms, hazardous alcohol use, and health functioning in 151 U.S. veterans (136 men and 15 women) of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan recruited from a Veterans Affairs primary care clinic. Based on established cut scores, 39.1% screened positive for PTSD and 26.5% screened positive for hazardous drinking. PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking were significantly correlated with each other and with health functioning. Hazardous drinking was found to partially mediate the relationship between PTSD and functional mental health, but not physical health.