Symptoms of traumatic stress and substance use in a non-clinical sample of young adults

The link between symptoms of traumatic stress and substance abuse is well established in the literature, but the specific features of trauma that contribute to substance abuse remain elusive and have not been studied in non-clinical samples. The current study assessed the relationship between traumatic symptoms and alcohol use in a sample of Midwestern college students. Using multiple regression analysis, traumatic stress symptoms, overall, accounted for 55% of the variance in use of alcohol. Most importantly, dissociative behavior, intrusive thoughts, as well as low levels of tension reduction behaviors uniquely contributed to the self-reported use of alcohol. We discuss the importance of educating college-aged students about this relationship as a preventative measure to alcohol and other drug use/abuse.