Regular Article/Psychological Consequences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

PTSD symptoms, hazardous drinking, and health functioning among U.S.OEF and OIF veterans presenting to primary care†

  1. Meghan E. McDevitt-Murphy*,
  2. Joah L. Williams,
  3. Katherine L. Bracken,
  4. Jordan A. Fields,
  5. Christopher J. Monahan,
  6. James G. Murphy

Article first published online: 26 JAN 2010

DOI: 10.1002/jts.20482

Issue

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Special Issue: Psychological Consequences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 108–111, February 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

McDevitt-Murphy, M. E., Williams, J. L., Bracken, K. L., Fields, J. A., Monahan, C. J. and Murphy, J. G. (2010), PTSD symptoms, hazardous drinking, and health functioning among U.S.OEF and OIF veterans presenting to primary care. J. Traum. Stress, 23: 108–111. doi: 10.1002/jts.20482

Author Information

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Memphis and Memphis Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Memphis, TN

*Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, 202 Psychology Building, Memphis, TN 38152

  1. †

    This work was supported by NIH grant # K3AA016120 to Meghan E. McDevitt-Murphy and by the Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans' Affairs. Portions of this work were presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, November 2009.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 FEB 2010
  2. Article first published online: 26 JAN 2010

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Abstract

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol abuse both are negatively associated with health, and alcohol misuse may mediate the relationship between PTSD and functional health outcomes. The present study tested for such mediation using self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, hazardous alcohol use, and health functioning in 151 U.S. veterans (136 men and 15 women) of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan recruited from a Veterans Affairs primary care clinic. Based on established cut scores, 39.1% screened positive for PTSD and 26.5% screened positive for hazardous drinking. PTSD symptoms and hazardous drinking were significantly correlated with each other and with health functioning. Hazardous drinking was found to partially mediate the relationship between PTSD and functional mental health, but not physical health.

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