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Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders and Disasters

Predicting Alcohol-Related Consequences with Patterns of Solitary and Social Drinking in a Sample of Veterans with PTSD

(PS4-C57) Predicting Alcohol-related Consequences with Patterns of Solitary and Social Drinking in a Sample of Veterans with PTSD

Friday, November 18, 2022

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

BB

Brooke Buckley, B.A.

Graduate Student
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee

Co-Author(s)

MM

Meghan McDevitt-Murphy, Ph.D.

Professor
The University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
JM

James G. Murphy, Ph.D.

Professor
University of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
RD

Robert Dvorak, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida
SY

Stacey Young-McCaughan, Ph.D., RN

Professor
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas

Combat veterans are at increased risk for alcohol misuse. According to Hoggatt and colleagues (2021), 24% of veterans receiving care at a Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center endorsed misusing alcohol in the past year. Notably, rates of alcohol misuse may be as high as 57% among veterans who have been recently separated from active duty service (Aronson et al., 2020). Rates of alcohol use within this population present a significant public health concern. Little attention has been paid to the contexts in which drinking occurs, such as solitary or social situations, a factor that may relate to alcohol-related consequences, based on research with other populations. The aim of the current study is to determine if patterns of social and solitary drinking relate to different alcohol-related consequences. Using a sample of 72 post-9/11 veterans with PTSD (87.5% male; M_age = 37.34, SD =7.88), frequencies for solitary (m = 3.43, SD = 9.00) and social drinking (m = 3.99, SD = 6.07) were derived from ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data collected over the course of 3 weeks, and the proportion of drinking occasions that were social (m = .62, SD = .37) vs. solitary (m = .38, SD = .37) was also calculated. Alcohol-related consequences were assessed using the Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DrInC), administered immediately after the EMA period. We expected that the frequency of solitary drinking occasions, as well as the proportion of drinking occasions that were solitary would each be predictive of alcohol-related consequences more strongly than frequency of social drinking. Bivariate correlations revealed that total drinking frequency was predictive of each of the five subscales of the DrInC (i.e., Physical, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Impulse Control, Social Responsibility). Also, solitary drinking frequency was predictive of later impulse control (r = .48, p < .01) and social responsibility (r = .40, p < .01) consequences. The proportion of drinking occasions that were solitary did not predict any of the DrInC subscales. Social drinking frequency was predictive of later Physical (r = .35, p < .01), Interpersonal (r = .31, p < .05) and Intrapersonal (r = .35, p < .01) alcohol-related consequences. Results indicate that post-9/11 veterans with PTSD may experience distinct profiles of alcohol-related consequences related to patterns of solitary, compared to social drinking. It appears that the more frequently one drinks, the more likely they are to report consequences, but the type of consequences vary depending on drinking context. Targeted interventions for alcohol misuse in this population should consider social and solitary drinking patterns given these unique differences. Future directions for research and clinical implications will be discussed.