Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Alcohol-Related Outcomes Among Municipal Firefighters.

This study examined levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and relationships between PTSS and alcohol-related outcomes in a near census of municipal firefighters. The study also assessed substance-use coping and drinking to cope as potential mediators of such outcomes. Firefighters (N = 740) completed measures that assessed PTSS, alcohol risk behaviors, alcohol problems, drinking motives, and coping with stress. Results showed that 32.4% of firefighters reported significant levels of PTSS using National Center for PTSD (2014) screening cutoff scores. Correlational analysis showed that PTSS was related to at-risk drinking (r = .18) and alcohol-related problems (r = .33), as well as use of maladaptive coping strategies (r = .58) and substance use coping (r = .40). Structural analyses comparing multiple alternative models suggested that a model that included substance use coping and drinking to cope as mediators of the association between PTSS and problem drinking provided the best fit to the data. Tests of multigroup invariance confirmed this model. Overall, PTSS were common in this population and they predicted maladaptive coping patterns and alcohol-related consequences. One implication of these findings is that fire departments might consider adding or enhancing screening and treatment options for PTS, alcohol misuse, or both.

An evaluation of the BASICS alcohol risk reduction model among predominantly Hispanic college students.

Although Hispanic college students consume alcohol in equal proportion to other ethnic groups, studies have not examined whether established alcohol-risk-reduction approaches are effective in this population. Accordingly, this study examined effectiveness of the brief alcohol screening and intervention for college students (BASICS) risk-reduction model for reducing alcohol consumption and related problems in two samples of predominantly Hispanic college students (N = 206 and 405). The study also examined whether factors such as gender, baseline risk level, and readiness to change moderated program impact. Students first participated in an in-depth assessment of drinking patterns followed by relatively brief intervention including psychoeducation and personalized normative feedback. Behavioral outcomes were assessed six months after the intervention and included alcohol-risk scores, alcohol consumption-related problems, consumption, drinking and driving frequency, and stage of change. Supporting the effectiveness of BASICS, both samples showed significant improvement across all these outcomes. Moderator analyses suggested greater program impact among heavier drinkers and among high in change contemplation at assessment. Overall, the results strongly support use of the BASICS intervention model among Hispanic students. The study's limitations are noted.

Stress and coping mediate relationships between contingent and global self-esteem and alcohol-related problems among college drinkers.

This study examined the hypotheses that contingent self-esteem would be positively associated with alcohol-related problems and that global self-esteem would be negatively associated with such problems. It also examined the hypothesis that high stress and maladaptive coping would mediate these relationships. A sample of college students (n = 399) who were predominantly Hispanic (89%) completed measures of global and contingent self-esteem; stress and coping; and alcohol-related problems. Correlational and latent variable analyses indicated that contingent self-esteem positively related to alcohol-related problems, with maladaptive coping mediating this relationship. In contrast, global self-esteem negatively related to such problems, a relationship that was also mediated by maladaptive coping and stress. Overall, the results highlight the potentially harmful consequences of contingent self-worth and the adaptive nature of non-contingent self-esteem. They also demonstrate the important role that coping plays in mediating self-esteem's associations with alcohol-related problems.