Associations between PTSD Symptoms, Alcohol Misuse, Emotional Regulation Strategies and Social Support among College Student Veterans

SMSU Event Center BC

Associations between PTSD symptoms (PTS) and alcohol misuse (AM) have been documented (Jakupcak et al., 2010). Two promising mechanisms of resilience are emotion regulation (ER) and perceived social support (PSS). Enhanced ER abilities and PSS may explain the association between PTS and AM. Few studies have explored mechanisms that may bolster adaptive functioning among veterans returning to college. The current study sought to identify the relationships between PTS, AM, ER strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), and PSS (i.e., family, friends, or significant other). Military veteran students, (N = 184) from a Western university completed measures assessing PTS, AM, ER, and PSS. Results showed significant associations between PTS and AM (r = .31, p < .001), the ER strategy suppression (r = .32, p < .001), and PSS from significant other (r = -.20, p < .01), family (r = -.38, p < .001), and friends (r = -.29, p < .001). Further, the relationship between PTS and AM was meditated by PSS of significant other (b = .02; CI .004 - .037) and family (b = -.02; CI -.05 - -001). Results suggest that PSS may play an important role in the association between PTS and AM.