Coping and defending styles among Vietnam combat veterans seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder

Abstract

A review of the literature on coping processes in addiction disorders yields at least two notions: one, that substance abuse is associated with less efficient, avoidant ways of coping with problems in living; and two, that substance abusers with a background of traumatic and stressful experiences are readily distinguishable by even more avoidant coping styles. These notions were tested in the form of three hypotheses: (1) substance abusers in general employ more avoidant coping styles than do nonaddicted groups; (2) Vietnam combat veterans meeting DSM-III criteria for both substance use disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) evidence significantly more avoidant coping styles than do Vietnam combat veterans meeting criteria only for substance use disorder but not PTSD--particularly when dealing with internal states of anxiety; and (3) for those meeting both substance use disorder and PTSD criteria, black Vietnam combat veterans (who presumably have encountered more stress, as minority group members) evidence more avoidant coping styles than do white Vietnam combat veterans. These three hypotheses were tested with Peck's (1981) newly developed Individual Styles of Coping, measuring four stages in the coping process for five behavioral contexts. All three hypotheses were confirmed. Results were discussed as confirming recent changes in DSM-III-Revised (1987) criteria, emphasizing generalized avoidance manuevers as criterial, in part, for diagnosing PTSD (in addition to behaviors of specific avoidance of traumatic memories). Theoretical implications about a traumatogenic dimension for substance abuse among some Vietnam combat veterans were discussed, as well as ramifications for treatment programming.