Date of Award
Spring 2020
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Psychology; College of Arts & Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Marianne Miserandino
Abstract
MAEGHAN MYERS
The Factors Behind High Rates of PTSD and AUD Comorbidity Among Military Veterans
Why is alcohol used by military veterans as a coping mechanism for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? PTSD has quickly become the third most prevalent health diagnosis for returning veterans in the U.S. However, the high rates of PTSD diagnoses are undertreated among veterans experiencing symptoms. The military culture, lack of knowledge, difficulty accessing care, and mistrust of others all impact a veteran’s help-seeking behaviors. The effects of these factors make a veteran unlikely to seek out treatment for their symptoms. However, as symptoms remain untreated many instead turn to alcohol use in an effort to quell their ever-evolving symptoms. This prolonged and high rate of alcohol consumption eventually leads to the development of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Two commonly debated models, the Mutual Maintenance Model and Self-Medication Model, aim to understand and explain the development of comorbid PTSD and AUD among these veterans. There is not a singular clear-cut answer as to why PTSD and AUD comorbidity occurs so frequently within the veteran population. However, there is an understanding of some of the many reasons that veterans rely on alcohol as a temporary relief for their PTSD symptoms. With this understanding it is important that health care providers support and encourage help-seeking behaviors and make treatment more accessible than alcohol. Further research must also be done in order to explore how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can be improved for the treatment of PTSD and AUD, as well as prevent PTSD symptom progression.
Recommended Citation
Myers, Maeghan, "The Factors Behind High Rates of PTSD and AUD Comorbidity Among Military Veterans" (2020). Capstone Showcase. 3.
https://scholarworks.arcadia.edu/showcase/2020/psychology/3
The Factors Behind High Rates of PTSD and AUD Comorbidity Among Military Veterans
MAEGHAN MYERS
The Factors Behind High Rates of PTSD and AUD Comorbidity Among Military Veterans
Why is alcohol used by military veterans as a coping mechanism for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? PTSD has quickly become the third most prevalent health diagnosis for returning veterans in the U.S. However, the high rates of PTSD diagnoses are undertreated among veterans experiencing symptoms. The military culture, lack of knowledge, difficulty accessing care, and mistrust of others all impact a veteran’s help-seeking behaviors. The effects of these factors make a veteran unlikely to seek out treatment for their symptoms. However, as symptoms remain untreated many instead turn to alcohol use in an effort to quell their ever-evolving symptoms. This prolonged and high rate of alcohol consumption eventually leads to the development of Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD). Two commonly debated models, the Mutual Maintenance Model and Self-Medication Model, aim to understand and explain the development of comorbid PTSD and AUD among these veterans. There is not a singular clear-cut answer as to why PTSD and AUD comorbidity occurs so frequently within the veteran population. However, there is an understanding of some of the many reasons that veterans rely on alcohol as a temporary relief for their PTSD symptoms. With this understanding it is important that health care providers support and encourage help-seeking behaviors and make treatment more accessible than alcohol. Further research must also be done in order to explore how the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can be improved for the treatment of PTSD and AUD, as well as prevent PTSD symptom progression.