| Background: There is a dearth in the literature surrounding PTSD symptom clusters (i.e.,
intrusions, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and
reactivity) as predictors of health correlates. The present study, a secondary data analysis,
examined PTSD symptomology as a predictor of five different health correlates (alcohol use,
drug use, maladaptive eating behavior, gambling, and sleep difficulty) and the four PTSD
symptom clusters as a predictor of these health behaviors.
Method: Participants were 1,350 college students aged 18-53 (M = 19.99, SD = 4.31). The
present analysis examined PSTD symptom severity and symptom clusters as a predictor of the
five health correlates through a series of univariate linear regression analyses and a multivariate
multiple linear regression analysis.
Results: PTSD severity was found to be a significant predictor of alcohol use (AUDIT-C), drug
use (CAGE-AID), maladaptive eating behavior (EDE-QS), and sleep difficulty (ASSQ-SDS),
but not gambling behavior (PGSI). Negative alterations in cognitions and mood was also
significantly predictive of drug use and eating behavior. Alterations in arousal and reactivity was
significantly predictive of drug use, eating behavior, and sleep difficulty.
Conclusion: Negative alterations in cognitions and mood and alterations in arousal and
reactivity (i.e., PTSD symptom clusters D and E) may be mechanisms related to the experiences
of these mental and behavioral health correlates. Future research could address additional factors
that may influence these health correlates.
Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder, sleep difficulty, eating behavior, substance use,
gambling. |