Citation

Brunault P, Lebigre K, Idbrik F, Maugé D, Adam P, El Ayoubi H, Hingray C, Barrault S, Grall-Bronnec M, Ballon N, El-Hage W. Eur. Addict. Res. 2019; 25(4): 198-206.

Affiliation

UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Karger Publishers)

DOI

10.1159/000499936

PMID

31117072

Abstract

BACKGROUND: 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.

OBJECTIVES: 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.

METHOD: 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; n= 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).

RESULTS: 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.

CONCLUSIONS: 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.

© 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Language: en

Keywords

Addictive; Behavior; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Rehabilitation center; Substance-related and addictive disorders; Tobacco use disorder