Functional Relationships of Binge Drinking and Alcohol-Related Problems With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in a Pilot Sample of Veterans.

OBJECTIVE

Posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and problematic alcohol use (e.g., binge drinking and alcohol-related problems; ARP) commonly co-occur following stressors and traumatic events. Ecological momentary assessment methods can clarify the functional relationships between these conditions.

METHODS

Twenty-five trauma-exposed combat veterans with pre-pandemic heavy drinking histories completed three daily smartphone surveys for four weeks, assessing binge drinking, ARP, PTS symptoms, and positive and negative affect. Within-person multi-level models assessed PTS and alcohol relationships, covarying for affect and demographics.

RESULTS

Within-person variation in PTS was inversely associated with binge drinking but not associated with ARP after adjustment for interindividual heterogeneity. Within-person variation in ARP was not associated with PTS after adjustment for interindividual heterogeneity. The covariate of negative affect was positively associated with ARP and PTS.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest negative affect, rather than PTS, has the strongest association with variation in ARP symptoms in this at-risk sample. There was also evidence of individual differences in the strength and direction of effects.