Posttraumatic Stress, Risky Drinking, and Prescription Drug Misuse in Trauma-Exposed College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine whether coping motives mediate the relationship between posttraumatic stress (PTS) and both risky drinking and prescription drug misuse in trauma-exposed college students. Data collected from 996 trauma-exposed college students were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. Supporting the hypotheses of the study, participants with high levels of posttraumatic stress reported increased motivation to drink alcohol to cope with distress, which then predicted higher levels of risky drinking and prescription drug misuse. These findings suggest that trauma-exposed students who drink alcohol to cope with PTS may also be at high risk of prescription drug misuse.