Abstract | 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.
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Authors | Jennifer P Read, Jennifer E Merrill, Melissa J Griffin, Rachel L Bachrach, Saba N Khan |
Journal | The American journal on addictions
(Am J Addict)
2014 Mar-Apr
Vol. 23
Issue 2
Pg. 108-16
ISSN: 1521-0391 [Electronic] England |
PMID | 25187046
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
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Copyright | Copyright © American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry. |
Topics |
- Adolescent
- Adolescent Behavior
- Alcohol-Related Disorders
(complications, etiology, psychology)
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)
(psychology)
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Models, Psychological
- Personality
- Personality Inventory
- Prospective Studies
- Self Medication
(psychology)
- Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
(complications, psychology)
- Symptom Assessment
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