Examination of a novel measure of trauma-related drinking to cope

Abstract

Objectives: The present study sought to fill a gap in the current literature by developing a concise self-report questionnaire assessing drinking motives specific to coping with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This new four-item questionnaire is called the Trauma Related Drinking questionnaire (TRD).

Method: Using structural equation modeling, the latent structure of the TRD items and how they relate to other variables of interest were explored among a sample of 1,896 college undergraduates from a large public university.

Results: Broadly, we found evidence to suggest that TRD is a more specific measure of drinking to cope motives compared to the commonly used Drinking Motives Questionnaire coping subscale. Additionally, findings demonstrate support for the external validation of TRD, both with regard to PTSD and alcohol consumption and related problems.

Conclusions: Results support the use of TRD in future self-medication research and as a clinically useful screening tool.

Keywords: PTSD; alcohol; drinking-to-cope; self-medication; trauma-related drinking.