Latent profiles of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and sleep disturbances in relation to drinking to cope motives among college students.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a three-fold increase in risk for developing alcohol use disorder (AUD). Individuals with PTSD and AUD have been shown to have higher PTSD symptom severity, worse substance use treatment outcomes, and more sleep disturbances than those with either PTSD or AUD alone. Some studies have suggested that trauma-related drinking (TRD) to cope could be a mechanism in the PTSD-AUD link. This study examines the number and nature of different subgroups of trauma-exposed college students based on endorsed PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbances and how these subgroups relate to drinking to cope with motives.  

This study consisted of 1021 undergraduate college students. The collection of data took place from November 2016 through September 2017. The participants had to be at least 18 years old and endorsed a traumatic event (as measured by the Events Checklist for DSM-5), and they had consumed alcohol at least once in the prior month. Hazardous Alcohol, trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, and sleep disturbances were measured. Participants also completed a drinking motive questionnaire-revised, which was a 20-item self-report scale assessing reasons for drinking Alcohol.             

This study found that PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbances frequently co-occur, and those who experience both are at an increased risk for problematic alcohol use. College students who had high sleep disturbance reported greater severity of PTSD symptoms severity than those who had moderate or low PTSD-sleep disturbances. College students with subclinical presentations of psychopathology, such as PTSD, are more at risk for risky drinking motives. College puts these students in a very stressful environment, so intervention efforts should be focused on adaptive coping strategies and relaxation skills to help improve sleep, and trauma-informed care may be highly beneficial for college students. 

Takeaway: College students that have subclinical presentations of psychopathology such as PTSD are more at risk for risky drinking motives. Intervention efforts should be focused on adaptive coping strategies, relaxation skills to help improve sleep, and trauma-informed care may be highly beneficial for college students.  

Banan Ramarushton, Elizabeth L. Griffith, Brett A. Messman, Ateka A. Contractor, Danica C. Slavish, Byron L. Zamboanga, Heidemarie Blumenthal, Latent profiles of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and sleep disturbances in relation to drinking to cope motives among college students, Journal of Psychiatric Research, Volume 167, 2023, Pages 37-45, ISSN 0022-3956, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.006.