What is the Combination?: The Role of Posttraumatic Cognitions in the Relation Between PTSD and Alcohol Use in U.S. Service Members with a Reported History of Military Sexual Trauma

Active U.S. service members and veterans engage in heightened and hazardous alcohol consumption, which has negative implications when it comes to fulfilling their military duties. It is common for service members and veterans to suffer from both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hazardous alcohol use concurrently, and it is unclear how other challenges could strengthen or weaken this relation. The current study examined the extent to which posttraumatic cognitions (PTCs)–conceptualized as thinking negatively about the world, self, and self-blame–moderated the relation between PTSD and alcohol use in service members with a history of military sexual assault (MSA). An additional exploratory analysis was conducted to see if there was a possible mediating role PTCs play in the relation between PTSD and alcohol use. The current study utilized data from a parent study that administered self-report surveys to 400 U.S. service members and veterans (50%) with a history of MSA. At the bivariate level, PTSD and PTCs were significantly associated with higher alcohol use. PTCs did not moderate the association between PTSD severity and alcohol use severity. An exploratory analysis of PTCs as a mediator of the relation between PTSD and alcohol use found a significant indirect effect of PTSD severity on alcohol use severity through higher PTCs. PTCs could be a target for cognitive-behavioral therapy treatments among those who are experiencing heavy alcohol use. Keywords: alcohol use, posttraumatic stress disorder, posttraumatic cognitions, military sexual assault, military