Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep/Oct;12(5):353-362.
doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000420.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Association With Subsequent Risky and Problem Drinking Initiation

Kara M Bensley  1 , Amber D Seelig, Richard F Armenta, Anna C Rivera, Arthur V Peterson, Isabel G Jacobson, Alyson J Littman, Charles Maynard, Jonathan B Bricker, Edward J Boyko, Rudolph P Rull, Emily C Williams
Affiliations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Association With Subsequent Risky and Problem Drinking Initiation

Kara M Bensley et al. J Addict Med. 2018 Sep/Oct.

Abstract

Objectives: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unhealthy alcohol use are commonly associated conditions. It is unknown whether specific symptoms of PTSD are associated with subsequent initiation of unhealthy alcohol use.

Methods: Data from the first 3 enrollment panels (n = 151,567) of the longitudinal Millennium Cohort Study of military personnel were analyzed (2001-2012). Complementary log-log models were fit to estimate whether specific PTSD symptoms and symptom clusters were associated with subsequent initiation of 2 domains of unhealthy alcohol use: risky and problem drinking (experience of 1 or more alcohol-related consequences). Models were adjusted for other PTSD symptoms and demographic, service, and health-related characteristics.

Results: Eligible study populations included those without risky (n = 31,026) and problem drinking (n = 67,087) at baseline. In adjusted analyses, only 1 PTSD symptom-irritability/anger-was associated with subsequent increased initiation of risky drinking (relative risk [RR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.09) at least 3 years later. Two symptom clusters (dysphoric arousal [RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.11-1.23] and emotional numbing [RR 1.30, 95% CI 1.22-1.40]) and 5 symptoms (restricted affect [RR 1.13, 95% CI 1.08-1.19], sense of foreshortened future [RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.06-1.18], exaggerated startle response [RR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01-1.13], sleep disturbance [RR 1.11, 95% CI 1.07-1.15], and irritability/anger [RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.07-1.17]) were associated with subsequent initiation of problem drinking.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that specific PTSD symptoms and symptom clusters are associated with subsequent initiation of unhealthy alcohol use.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Arbona C, Schwartz JP. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters, Depression, Alcohol Abuse, and General Stress Among Hispanic Male Firefighters. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences. 2016;38(4):507–522.
    1. Blanchard EB, Jones-Alexander J, Buckley TC, Forneris CA. Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL) Behav Res Ther. 1996;34(8):669–673. - PubMed
    1. Cooper ML, Frone MR, Russell M, Mudar P. Drinking to regulate positive and negative emotions: a motivational model of alcohol use. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1995;69(5):990–1005. - PubMed
    1. Crum RM, Storr CL, Chan YF, Ford DE. Sleep disturbance and risk for alcohol-related problems. Am J Psychiatry. 2004;161(7):1197–1203. - PubMed
    1. Dawson DA, Goldstein RB, Grant BF. Differences in the profiles of DSM-IV and DSM-5 alcohol use disorders: implications for clinicians. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013;37(Suppl 1):E305–313. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types