Cognitive Processes, PTSD, and Alcohol Use

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Co-morbid PTSD and alcohol use disorders are both common and debilitating, therefore, identification of factors related to their development is of great import. Research findings support a self-medication hypothesis to explain this comorbidity. Yet mechanisms explaining the use of alcohol for self-medication of PTSD remain unaddressed. The overarching purpose of this study is to examine a cognitive model of AUD following traumatic events. This model will integrate cognitive processing theory of PTSD with models for the development of AUD emphasizing cognitive expectancies. This study will use a longitudinal design, assessing 100 adult women with a physical or sexual assault one, three, and six months after the traumatic event to determine how AUD develop over time, as a function of general and PTSD-specific alcohol outcome expectancies, cognitions affected by the traumatic event, and severity of PTSD symptoms. Aim 1: Examine general alcohol expectancies 1 month post-trauma, as predictors of alcohol consumption, and PTSD-specific alcohol expectancies 3 months post-trauma. Aim 2: Examine PTSD severity I month post-trauma, as a predictor of alcohol consumption and PTSD-specific alcohol expectancies 3 months post-trauma. Aim 3: Evaluate assimilation and over-accommodation I month post-trauma as predictors of PTSD symptoms 3 months post-trauma. Aim 4: Evaluate alcohol consumption, PTSD-specific alcohol expectancies, and PTSD severity 3 months post-trauma as predictors of alcohol use disorders 6 months post-trauma.