title: Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression in relation to alcohol-use and alcohol-related problems among Canadian forces veterans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Alcohol misuse is common among military veterans affected by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression; however, research to date has provided mixed evidence concerning differential associations among PTSD and depressive symptoms in relation to alcohol misuse. Further, most available studies have examined primarily male samples or have dichotomously grouped participants as either having or not having an alcohol use disorder. Our study sought to explore relations among 2 aspects of alcohol misuse (that is, alcohol-related problems, and quantity or frequency of alcohol use) and symptoms of PTSD and depression in independent samples of female and male military veterans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Canadian military veterans (1271 men and 72 women) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires as part of a broader health status assessment conducted by Veterans Affairs Canada.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Linear regression analyses suggested depressive symptoms accounted for unique variance in reported alcohol-related problems and quantity or frequency of alcohol use among male veterans. Additionally, PTSD hyperarousal symptoms accounted for unique variance in reported alcohol-related problems. In contrast, among female veterans neither PTSD nor depressive symptoms were found to account for significant variance in measures of alcohol-related problems or quantity or frequency of alcohol use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest differing mechanisms are involved in influencing alcohol misuse among male and female veterans. Accordingly, female veterans may benefit from specialized assessment and intervention approaches to prevent and treat alcohol-related disorders, rather than applying the same strategies commonly used with male veterans. Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Mathew G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Fetzner
authors.forename: Murray P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Gordon J G
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Asmundson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002170:Canada; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: alcohol-misuse; depression; gender; military veterans; posttraumatic stress disorder