Abueg FR

American Psychiatric Association (APA)

Asmundson GJG

Byrne B.

Calahan D

Center for Disease Control

Davison AC

Devins GM

Edwards G

Hankin CS

Najavits LM

Stretch RH

Tabachnick BG

Triffelman E.

Weathers FW

Objective: Alcohol misuse is common among military veterans affected by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression; however, research to date has provided mixed evidence concerning differential associations among PTSD and depressive symptoms in relation to alcohol misuse. Further, most available studies have examined primarily male samples or have dichotomously grouped participants as either having or not having an alcohol use disorder. Our study sought to explore relations among 2 aspects of alcohol misuse (that is, alcohol-related problems, and quantity or frequency of alcohol use) and symptoms of PTSD and depression in independent samples of female and male military veterans. Method: Canadian military veterans (1271 men and 72 women) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires as part of a broader health status assessment conducted by Veterans Affairs Canada. Results: Linear regression analyses suggested depressive symptoms accounted for unique variance in reported alcohol-related problems and quantity or frequency of alcohol use among male veterans. Additionally, PTSD hyperarousal symptoms accounted for unique variance in reported alcohol-related problems. In contrast, among female veterans neither PTSD nor depressive symptoms were found to account for significant variance in measures of alcohol-related problems or quantity or frequency of alcohol use. Conclusions: Findings suggest differing mechanisms are involved in influencing alcohol misuse among male and female veterans. Accordingly, female veterans may benefit from specialized assessment and intervention approaches to prevent and treat alcohol-related disorders, rather than applying the same strategies commonly used with male veterans. Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research are discussed. </jats:sec

Mathew G Fetzner

Murray P Abrams

Gordon J G Asmundson

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The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry

Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Relation to Alcohol-Use and Alcohol-Related Problems among Canadian Forces Veterans

Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Relation to Alcohol-Use and Alcohol-Related Problems among Canadian Forces Veterans

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