%0 Journal Article
%T Combat experience and problem drinking in veterans: exploring the roles of PTSD, coping motives, and perceived stigma
%J Addictive behaviors
%D 2016
%A Miller, Stephen M.
%A Pedersen, Eric R.
%A Marshall, Grant N.
%V 66
%N 
%P 90-95
%X PURPOSE: The current investigation sought to illustrate the etiology of adverse alcohol consequences in young adult veterans using a path analytic framework. <br><br>METHODS: A total of 312 veterans aged 19-34 were enrolled in a larger intervention study on alcohol use. At baseline, participants completed measures of combat severity, PTSD symptom severity, and drinking motives to cope. At one month follow-up, participants completed measures of perceived stigma of behavioral health treatment seeking and past 30-day alcohol consequences. <br><br>RESULTS: After entering the covariates of age, gender, race/ethnicity, and past year behavioral health treatment utilization, a path analytic model demonstrated a good fit to the data predicting alcohol consequences in this population. Further, a separate exploratory analysis confirmed that both drinking motives to cope and perceived stigma of behavioral health treatment seeking mediated the link between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol consequences. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The current model expands upon prior research showing the relationship between combat severity and alcohol use behavior in young adult veterans. <br><br>RESULTS support the notion that veterans with PTSD symptoms may drink to cope and that perceived stigma surrounding help seeking may further contribute to alcohol related problems.<br><br>Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Elsevier Publishing
%@ 0306-4603
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.11.011