PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students

2014-01-17
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Patricia Donovan
pdonovan@buffalo.edu
716-645-4602
University at Buffalo
Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students BUFFALO, N.Y. – The estimated 9 percent of college students who have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are likely to drink more alcohol than peers without the psychological condition. In turn, heavy alcohol consumption exacerbates their PTSD symptoms over time, prolonging a vicious cycle. These are the conclusions of the first empirical study to examine the bidirectional influences of the two phenomena, influences that had been theorized but never tested. The study, "Reciprocal Associations Between PTSD Symptoms and Alcohol Involvement in College: A Three-Year Trait-State-Error Analysis," was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and is published in the most recent edition of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Vol. 22/4). A full-text version of the study can be obtained by contacting Pat Donovan at 716-645-4602 or pdonovan@buffalo.edu. "College is a time of important developmental changes and a period of risk for heavy drinking, trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms," says Jennifer P. Read, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo and principle investigator on the study. "Heavy drinking is common on college campuses and related to risk for sexual assault, interpersonal violence and serious injury, any of which may trigger PTSD," says Read, who noted that although there has been an assumption that the two are mechanistically associated in the college population, until now, the nature of their relationship was unclear. The study examined the relationships between PTSD and heavy drinking in 486 students as they transitioned into college and at 11 additional points over the following three years. "We show that alcohol use and associated problems are linked over time to an exacerbation in PTSD symptoms, and that PTSD symptoms show a similar effect on alcohol consumption. Each affects the other. As such, both PTSD and heavy drinking are risk factors for one another, each with implications for the other over the course of college," Read says. "This information is useful and perhaps imperative for those who assist students dealing with these problems." The study employed the trait-state-error modeling analytic approach, which allowed the examination of prospective and reciprocal associations among these constructs while accounting for intra-individual stability. Co-authors on the study, both in the UB Department of Psychology, are Jeffery D. Wardell, doctoral candidate in clinical psychology, and Craig R. Colder, PhD, professor of clinical psychology. Read's research focuses on the etiology of and interventions for problematic alcohol and other substance use in young adults. Her prior research has examined both environmental and individual determinants of alcohol use, in particular, how individual-level factors such as gender, affective state and alcohol cognitions (e.g., expectancies, motives) may account for different responses to the social environment. In a 2011 study of 3,000 college students, published in the journal Psychological Trauma, she found that about 9 percent met the criteria for PTSD, with the disorder found to be most common among those exposed to sexual and physical assault, most of whom were women. A 2012 study by Read and colleagues found that the transition into college is marked by an escalation in heavy drinking, drug use and use-related negative consequences, and suggested interventions that may help to ameliorate problem substance use and ultimately facilitate a stronger transition into college and beyond.

### END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Survival rates of kids suffering cardiac arrest improve with new training approach

2014-01-17
Survival rates of kids suffering cardiac arrest improve with new training approach STANFORD, Calif. — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford have found a new way to boost the survival ...

Natural 3D counterpart to graphene discovered

2014-01-17
Natural 3D counterpart to graphene discovered Researchers at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source find new form of quantum matter The discovery of what is essentially a 3D version of graphene – the 2D sheets of carbon through which electrons race at ...

Urban night shift police more likely to suffer long-term job injuries, study finds

2014-01-17
Urban night shift police more likely to suffer long-term job injuries, study finds BUFFALO, N.Y. – Police officers working the night shift are significantly more likely to suffer long-term on-the-job injuries than officers on day and afternoon shifts, according ...

Silencing inhibitor of cell replication spurs beta cells to reproduce

2014-01-17
Silencing inhibitor of cell replication spurs beta cells to reproduce PHILADELPHIA — Klaus Kaestner, PhD, professor of Genetics and postdoctoral fellow Dana Avrahami, PhD, from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, ...

EARTH Magazine: Humans are influencing some extreme weather events, but not all

2014-01-17
EARTH Magazine: Humans are influencing some extreme weather events, but not all Alexandria, VA – It has often been said that individual weather events cannot be attributed to global climate change, but recent advances in the science of attribution are challenging ...

Fathers' diet, bodyweight and health at conception may contribute to obesity in offspring

2014-01-17
Fathers' diet, bodyweight and health at conception may contribute to obesity in offspring New research in The FASEB Journal suggests that obese fathers cause altered gene expression in pancreas and fat of offspring, possibly leading ...

Special yeast reduce alcohol, improve wine

2014-01-17
Special yeast reduce alcohol, improve wine A team of Australian researchers has taken a giant step towards controlling a growing problem in the wine community. They have identified special yeast that produce a lower level of alcohol, helping to preserve the ...

Same cell death pathway involved in three forms of blindness, Penn team finds

2014-01-17
Same cell death pathway involved in three forms of blindness, Penn team finds Gene therapies developed by University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine researchers have worked to correct different forms of blindness. While effective, ...

National Park Service and outside experts collaborate to conserve migratory wildlife

2014-01-17
National Park Service and outside experts collaborate to conserve migratory wildlife A new paper details a collaboration between the National Park Service (NPS) and outside experts, including Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) scientists, in developing recommendations ...

Prion discovery could help keep deadly brain diseases in check

2014-01-17
Prion discovery could help keep deadly brain diseases in check New research from David Westaway, PhD, of the University of Alberta and Jiri Safar, PhD, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has uncovered a quality control mechanism in brain cells ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

FIU cybersecurity researchers develop midflight defense against drone hijacking

Kennesaw State researcher aims to discover how ideas spread in the digital age

Next-generation perovskite solar cells are closer to commercial use

Sleep patterns linked to variation in health, cognition, lifestyle, and brain organization

University of Oklahoma researcher awarded funding to bridge gap between molecular data and tissue architecture

Nationally-recognized pathologist Paul N. Staats, MD, named Chair of Pathology at University of Maryland School of Medicine

The world’s snow leopards are very similar genetically. That doesn’t bode well for their future

Researchers find key to stopping deadly infection

Leafcutter ants have blind spots, just like truck drivers

Tayac receives funding for community engagement project

Parker receives funding for Elementary Education Program Professional Development School (PDS)

Physicists uncork a message in a bottle from another star

Sanders receives funding for project aimed at enabling prostheses for children with lower extremity amputation

Engineers develop solid lubricant to replace toxic materials in farming

Repurposing gemstone polishing waste to create smart cement

Patient-physician messaging by race, ethnicity, insurance type, and preferred language

Unrecognized motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

Smarter battery tech knows whether your EV will make it home

Overactive microRNAs block fat cell development in progeria

Crosswalk confusion: MA drivers flummoxed by pedestrian hybrid beacons, find UMass Amherst researchers

Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Intracardiac echocardiography recognized as ‘transformative’ imaging modality in new SCAI position statement

Study finds ‘man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

To get representative health data, researchers hand out fitbits

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

[Press-News.org] Study finds troubling relationship between drinking and PTSD symptoms in college students