Associations of subjective and objective stress responses with interpersonal trauma, PTSD, stress-induced drinking, and drinking to cope in young adults

Abstract

Objective: To understand how interpersonal trauma (IPT), stress response, and drinking to cope converge to predict stress-induced drinking, a risk factor for alcohol use disorder.

Method: Young adults with no substance use disorder were classified into three trauma history groups: (a) IPT with PTSD (n = 27), (b) IPT without PTSD (n = 35), and (c) Control (no trauma-history/no PTSD; n = 36). Participants completed a baseline assessment, including a structured clinical interview, to confirm PTSD diagnosis, followed by the Trier Social Stressor Task (TSST) and an alcohol use task. Subjective units of distress and blood serum cortisol were collected at standardized timepoints throughout the tasks.

Results: In all three groups (PTSD, IPT, control), males consumed more alcohol in the lab than females. Participants in the PTSD group had significantly higher drinking to cope motives, which were associated with greater subjective reactivity; however, neither drinking to cope motives nor subjective reactivity to the TSST predicted post-stressor alcohol consumption for those with PTSD.

Conclusions: The interplay among trauma history, stress, and drinking among young adults is nuanced; additional lab-based studies are needed to further clarify the nuanced connection between trauma history, acute stress reactions, and alcohol use.