Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased substance use, especially alcohol, as evident by the high cooccurrence of PTSD and alcohol use disorder (AUD). College students are particularly vulnerable to cooccurrence of AUD and PTSD, as they are at a higher risk of interpersonal trauma and alcohol-related problems. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU), also known as a fear of the unknown, may be a risk factor involved in AUD-PTSD through negative reinforcement drinking. This study examines the influence of PTSD and IU on alcohol use and problems in trauma-exposed college students.
The study’s sample consisted of 81 college students from the Chicago-area who had a history of interpersonal traumatic events. Participants were asked to complete the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire (TLEQ), a Clinician Administered PTSD Questionnaire (CAPS), and an intolerance of uncertainty scale. Students were also asked to report alcohol use quantity and frequency over the past 30 days, negative consequences associated with alcohol use, and drinking motives. Lastly, a Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview was conducted to assess for AUD diagnostic status and symptom severity. Data was analyzed using hierarchical linear regression models to evaluate the effect of PTSD symptoms on alcohol-related outcomes.
Results of the data analysis showed that over half of the participants met criteria for a past-month PTSD diagnosis and around 90% met criteria for AUD. The main IU effect was significantly positively associated with alcohol coping motives but not past 30-day alcohol consumption, binge frequency, or negative alcohol consequences. IU did not interact with PTSD symptoms for any alcohol use variable. The exploratory prospective IU model revealed a significant association of PTSD symptoms on alcohol-related consequences and coping motives. Inhibitory IU models indicated a significant main effect of PTSD symptoms on alcohol coping motives.
Takeaway: Levels of intolerance of uncertainty may provide predictive value when assessing alcohol coping motives, but not other alcohol related variables, in trauma-exposed college students.