Premium
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Alcohol Problems: Self‐Medication or Trait Vulnerability?
Author(s) -
Read Jennifer P.,
Merrill Jennifer E.,
Griffin Melissa J.,
Bachrach Rachel L.,
Khan Saba N.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the american journal on addictions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.997
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1521-0391
pISSN - 1055-0496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.12075.x
Subject(s) - psychology , clinical psychology , trait , vulnerability (computing) , structural equation modeling , emotionality , addiction , posttraumatic stress , psychiatry , developmental psychology , statistics , computer security , mathematics , computer science , programming language
Background and Objectives Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSD) and problem alcohol use (ALC) commonly co‐occur, but the nature of this co‐occurrence is unclear. Self‐medication explanations have been forwarded, yet traits such as tendency toward negative emotionality and behavioral disconstraint also have been implicated. In this study we test three competing models (Self‐Medication, Trait Vulnerability, Combined Dual Pathway) of PTSD–ALC prospectively in a college sample. Method Participants ( N = 659; 73% female, M age = 18) provided data at college matriculation (Time 1) and 1 year later (Time 2). Results Structural equation models showed disconstraint to meditate the path from PTSD symptoms to alcohol problems, supporting a trait vulnerability conceptualization. Findings regarding negative emotionality and self‐medication were more mixed. Negative emotionality played a stronger role in cross‐sectional than in prospective analyses, suggesting the importance of temporal proximity. Conclusions and Scientific Significance Self‐regulation skills may be an important focus for clinicians treating PTSD symptoms and alcohol misuse disorders concurrently. (Am J Addict 2014;23:108–116)