Does negative affect mediate the relationship between daily PTSD symptoms and daily alcohol involvement in female rape victims? Evidence from 14 days of interactive voice response assessment.

Abstract

The negative reinforcement model of addiction posits that individuals may use alcohol to reduce with negative affective (NA) distress. The current study investigated the mediating effect of daily NA on the relationship between daily PTSD symptoms and same-day and next-day alcohol involvement (consumption and desire to drink) in a sample of 54 non-treatment-seeking female rape victims who completed 14 days of interactive voice response assessment. The moderating effect of lifetime alcohol use disorder diagnosis (AUD) on daily relationships was also examined. Multilevel models suggested that NA mediated the relationship between PTSD and same-day, but not next-day alcohol involvement. NA was greater on days characterized by more severe PTSD symptoms, and alcohol consumption and desire to drink were greater on days characterized by higher NA. Further, daily PTSD symptoms and NA were more strongly associated with same-day (but not next-day) alcohol consumption and desire to drink for women with an AUD than without. Results suggest that NA plays an important role in female rape victims’ daily alcohol use. Differences between women with and without an AUD indicate the need for treatment matching to sub-types of female rape victims.

Peer alcohol behavior moderates within-level associations between posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and alcohol use in college students.

“…The literature assessing these associations within an ESM framework has been notably mixed, with some studies finding evidence for SMT associations (e.g., Kaysen et al, 2014; Simpson et al, 2014) while others not finding such support (i.e., Cohn et al, 2014). 7 Mixed results could be due to the level and type of PTSD symptoms modeled.…”

“…To date, only a handful of studies have assessed the link between PTSD and alcohol behavior using ESM (Cohn et al, 2014; Gaher et al, 2014; Kaysen et al, 2014; Possemato et al, 2015; Simpson et al, 2012; Simpson, Stappenbeck, Luterek, Lehavot, & Kaysen, 2014), and only one of these used a college sample (Kaysen et al, 2014). Findings suggest that for some, PTSD symptom severity is associated with greater same-day alcohol craving, alcohol use, and/or next-day alcohol use, providing support for SMT (e.g., Kaysen et al, 2014; Simpson et al, 2014).…”

PTSD Symptoms, Emotion Dysregulation, and Alcohol-Related Consequences Among College Students With a Trauma History

“…Thus we investigated whether emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking among college students who had experienced a traumatic event and currently used alcohol. Because negative affect is related to all of the variables of interest (Cohn, Hagman, Moore, Mitchell, & Ehlke, 2014; Martens et al, 2008; Salsman & Linehan) and we were more interested in the ability to regulate emotion, not the negative emotion itself, we chose to adjust for the effects of negative affect in our mediation models. Given evidence of gender differences in each variable of interest, we also investigated the relationships among these variables by sex to examine any potential differences between men and women.…”

Daily stressors as antecedents, correlates, and consequences of alcohol and drug use and cravings in community-based offenders.

“…Although there is empirical evidence linking PTSD to cravings and alcohol and drug use, as well as previous work on daily stressors and tobacco use (e.g., Cohn et al, 2014; Shiffman 2005; Volz et al, 2014), there have been notably fewer studies on the effect of naturally-occurring daily stressors on daily alcohol and/or drug cravings and use (e.g., Preston & Epstein, 2011) and none in justice-involved individuals (Serre, Fatseas, Swendsen, & Auriacombe, 2015 for a review). Research on the associations between stressors and alcohol and drug cravings has typically relied on laboratory-based paradigms or retrospective reconstruction of individuals’ day-to-day lives (Ouimette, Read, Wade, & Tirone, 2010; but see Simpson, Stappenback et al, 2012 for an exception).…”