Date of Award

Summer 2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Psychology

Committee Chair

Michael B. Madson

Committee Chair School

Psychology

Committee Member 2

Eric R. Dahlen

Committee Member 2 School

Psychology

Committee Member 3

Richard S. Mohn

Committee Member 3 School

Education

Committee Member 4

Bonnie C. Nicholson

Committee Member 4 School

Psychology

Abstract

The present study evaluated the sequentially mediating role of drinking motives (i.e. social, enhancement, coping, conformity) and alcohol protective behavioral strategy (PBSA) subtypes (i.e. serious harm reduction [SHR], stopping/limiting drinking [SLD], manner of drinking [MOD]) on the relationships posttraumatic stress symptoms had with hazardous drinking and alcohol-related negative consequences in college students. Participants were 492 (50.8% men) traditional age (i.e. 18 to 25 years old) college students reporting past 30 day alcohol consumption and the experience of at least one potentially traumatic event over their lifetime. Participants reported their gender and completed measures of posttraumatic stress symptoms, drinking motives, PBS use, and hazardous drinking through an online survey. Posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with hazardous drinking and this relationship was partially mediated by coping and enhancement drinking motives independently, as well as sequentially by social drinking motives and PBSA-SHR, enhancement drinking motives and PBSA-SHR, and social drinking motives and PBSA-SLD. Further, posttraumatic stress symptoms were positively associated with alcohol-related negative consequences and this relationship was partially mediated by coping drinking motives independently, as well as sequentially by enhancement drinking motives and PBSA-SHR as well as conformity drinking motives and PBSA-SHR. Thus, types of drinking motives and PBSA use function differentially to account for some of the relationships between posttraumatic stress symptoms and alcohol outcomes.

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