Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is a Risk Factor for Multiple Addictions in Police Officers Hospitalized for Alcohol

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> In police officers, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), but we lack data on the association between PTSD and other substance-related and addictive disorders. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> We assessed whether PTSD could be a risk factor for different substance-related and addictive disorders in police officers, including alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and gambling. <b><i>Method:</i></b> This cross-sectional study included all police officers admitted consecutively for alcohol to an inpatient ward dedicated to police officers (Le Courbat rehabilitation center, France; <i>n</i>= 133). Each patient completed self-administered questionnaires that assessed lifetime exposure to potentially traumatic events (Life Event Checklist for DSM-5), PTSD severity and diagnosis (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5), AUD severity (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test [AUDIT]), tobacco dependence (Fagerström test for Nicotine Dependence), cannabis dependence (Cannabis Abuse Screening test), and gambling disorder (Canadian Problem Gambling Index). <b><i>Results:</i></b> Mean AUDIT score was 23.7 ± 8.0; 66.2% had an AUDIT score ≥20. Our sample comprised a high prevalence for PTSD (38.3%) and for substance-related and addictive disorders: tobacco dependence (68.4%), cannabis dependence (3.8%), and pathological gambling (3%). Patients with PTSD experienced higher lifetime exposure to traumatic experiences: physical assault, severe human suffering, sudden accidental death of another person, and other types of stressful events/experiences. In multiple linear regressions adjusted for age, sex, and marital status, PTSD was a significant predictor of the severity of AUD and tobacco use disorder, but not of the severity of cannabis use disorder nor gambling disorder. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> PTSD is common in police officers hospitalized for alcohol and associated with a higher severity of some addictive disorders (alcohol/tobacco). PTSD and its comorbid addictive disorders should be systematically screened and treated in this population.

Psychometric properties of CAST for early detection of problematic cannabis use in Spanish adolescents

“…The CAST has been widely applied to assess cannabis abuse (Amado et al, 2020;Arias-de la Torre et al, 2020;Blankers et al, 2014;Brunault et al, 2019;Golpe, Gómez, Braña, Varela, & Rial, 2017). It also served as a massive screening tool in national-scale surveys, but not always using the same correction version and the same cut-off points (Beck and Legleye, 2003;EMCDDA, 2020b; Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri & Dipartimento per le Politiche Antidroga, 2018; Spanish Observatory on Drugs and Addictions, & Government Delegation for the Spanish National Drugs Plan, 2020).…”

ADHD Is Associated with a Higher Risk for Traumatic Events, Self-Reported PTSD, and a Higher Severity of PTSD Symptoms in Alcohol-Dependent Patients

“…In a study of 182 alcohol-dependent patients without ADHD, who were administered the same trauma questionnaire as in our study, 55% reported trauma exposure [26]. Since both ADHD and SUDs are associated with increased rates of PTEs over the lifespan [14,[27][28][29][30], it seems likely that the co-occurrence of both disorders leads to an even higher rate.…”

Improving mental health service and practice for police: A qualitative assessment.

“…This is consistent with previous research in police and who report low levels of understanding about where to get help (Hofer & Savell, 2021; Richards et al, 2021). Without adequate awareness of treatment options, police members are unlikely to access treatment and may adopt maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., substance use; Brunault et al, 2019). To improve awareness, the findings suggest avoiding an overreliance on internal emailing systems to promote supports available (which police members often ignore) and consider combinations of digital (e.g., email), physical (e.g., flyers), and in-person communications (e.g., workshops/seminars with respected presenters) to increase awareness.…”