Citation

Bartlett BA, Smith LJ, Lebeaut A, Tran JK, Vujanovic AA. Psychiatry Res. 2019; 278: 315-323.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Trauma and Stress Studies Center, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX 77204-5502, United States. Electronic address: aavujano@central.uh.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2019.06.039

PMID

31276966

Abstract

Firefighters represent a unique population at high risk for trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol use. This study explored the main and interactive effects of PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity with regard to alcohol use severity. We hypothesized that higher levels of PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity would be related to greater alcohol use severity. Covariates included trauma load, depressive symptom severity, and romantic relationship status. The sample was comprised of 654 firefighters (Mage = 38.65, SD = 8.60) who endorsed exposure to potentially traumatic events and lifetime alcohol use. Firefighters completed an online questionnaire battery. A series of hierarchical regressions was conducted. PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity were significantly, incrementally associated with alcohol use severity, and a significant interactive effect was documented; firefighters with heightened PTSD symptom severity and impulsivity had the highest levels of alcohol use severity. This line of inquiry has great potential to inform prevention and intervention efforts for this vulnerable population. Clinical and research implications are discussed.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Binge drinking; First responders; Impulsivity; Posttraumatic stress; Trauma