(PS4-B27) PTSD Symptom Severity and Alcohol Use Among Firefighters: Associations with Emotion Regulation Difficulties

Heightened rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use and misuse have been documented among firefighters (Berger et al., 2012; Haddock et al., 2012). Understanding psychological factors related to PTSD symptoms and alcohol use among firefighters has potential to inform specialized cognitive-behavioral treatments for the fire service. Emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) are clinically relevant to both PTSD and alcohol use and misuse as well as alcohol use disorder (AUD) (Lebeaut et al., 2021; Radomski & Read, 2016). Few studies have examined the role of ERD in the association of PTSD symptoms with alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives among firefighters. Thus, the present investigation examined the indirect effect of PTSD symptom severity on alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives through ERD. The sample was comprised of 685 firefighters (Mage=38.65, SD=8.57, 93.6% male) recruited from an urban fire department in the southern U.S. to complete an online survey. Indirect effects were calculated using 10,000 bootstrapped samples. Effects were examined after accounting for years of fire service, occupational stress, and trauma load (i.e., number of traumatic event types experienced). ERD explained the association between PTSD symptom severity and social drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .002-.02) and coping drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .004-.02). ERD did not significantly account for the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use severity (β=.02, SE=.01, CI=-.004-.04) or enhancement (β=.003, SE=.003, CI=-.002-.01) or conformity drinking motives (β=.002, SE=.003, CI=-.004-.01). Results demonstrated that PTSD symptom severity was related to social and coping drinking motives through heightened ERD. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed.

Heightened rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use and misuse have been documented among firefighters (Berger et al., 2012; Haddock et al., 2012). Understanding psychological factors related to PTSD symptoms and alcohol use among firefighters has potential to inform specialized cognitive-behavioral treatments for the fire service. Emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) are clinically relevant to both PTSD and alcohol use and misuse as well as alcohol use disorder (AUD) (Lebeaut et al., 2021; Radomski & Read, 2016). Few studies have examined the role of ERD in the association of PTSD symptoms with alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives among firefighters. Thus, the present investigation examined the indirect effect of PTSD symptom severity on alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives through ERD. The sample was comprised of 685 firefighters (Mage=38.65, SD=8.57, 93.6% male) recruited from an urban fire department in the southern U.S. to complete an online survey. Indirect effects were calculated using 10,000 bootstrapped samples. Effects were examined after accounting for years of fire service, occupational stress, and trauma load (i.e., number of traumatic event types experienced). ERD explained the association between PTSD symptom severity and social drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .002-.02) and coping drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .004-.02). ERD did not significantly account for the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use severity (β=.02, SE=.01, CI=-.004-.04) or enhancement (β=.003, SE=.003, CI=-.002-.01) or conformity drinking motives (β=.002, SE=.003, CI=-.004-.01). Results demonstrated that PTSD symptom severity was related to social and coping drinking motives through heightened ERD. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed.

Heightened rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use and misuse have been documented among firefighters (Berger et al., 2012; Haddock et al., 2012). Understanding psychological factors related to PTSD symptoms and alcohol use among firefighters has potential to inform specialized cognitive-behavioral treatments for the fire service. Emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) are clinically relevant to both PTSD and alcohol use and misuse as well as alcohol use disorder (AUD) (Lebeaut et al., 2021; Radomski & Read, 2016). Few studies have examined the role of ERD in the association of PTSD symptoms with alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives among firefighters. Thus, the present investigation examined the indirect effect of PTSD symptom severity on alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives through ERD. The sample was comprised of 685 firefighters (Mage=38.65, SD=8.57, 93.6% male) recruited from an urban fire department in the southern U.S. to complete an online survey. Indirect effects were calculated using 10,000 bootstrapped samples. Effects were examined after accounting for years of fire service, occupational stress, and trauma load (i.e., number of traumatic event types experienced). ERD explained the association between PTSD symptom severity and social drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .002-.02) and coping drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .004-.02). ERD did not significantly account for the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use severity (β=.02, SE=.01, CI=-.004-.04) or enhancement (β=.003, SE=.003, CI=-.002-.01) or conformity drinking motives (β=.002, SE=.003, CI=-.004-.01). Results demonstrated that PTSD symptom severity was related to social and coping drinking motives through heightened ERD. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed.

Heightened rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol use and misuse have been documented among firefighters (Berger et al., 2012; Haddock et al., 2012). Understanding psychological factors related to PTSD symptoms and alcohol use among firefighters has the potential to inform specialized cognitive-behavioral treatments for the fire service. Emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) are clinically relevant to both PTSD and alcohol use and misuse as well as alcohol use disorder (AUD) (AUD; Lebeaut et al., 2021; Radomski & Read, 2016). Few studies have examined the role of ERD in the association of PTSD symptoms with alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives among firefighters. Thus, the present investigation examined the indirect effect of PTSD symptom severity on alcohol use severity and alcohol use motives through ERD. The sample was comprised of 685 firefighters (Mage=38.65, SD=8.57, 93.6% male) recruited from an urban fire department in the southern U.S. to complete an online survey. Indirect effects were calculated using 10,000 bootstrapped samples. Effects were examined after accounting for years of fire service, occupational stress, and trauma load (i.e., number of traumatic event types experienced). ERD explained the association between PTSD symptom severity and social drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .002-.02) and coping drinking motives (β=.01, SE=.003, CI= .004-.02). ERD did not significantly account for the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use severity (β=.02, SE=.01, CI=-.004-.04) or enhancement (β=.003, SE=.003, CI=-.002-.01) or conformity drinking motives (β=.002, SE=.003, CI=-.004-.01). Results demonstrated that PTSD symptom severity was related to social and coping drinking motives through heightened ERD. Clinical implications and future directions will be discussed.