Posttraumatic Stress and Alcohol Use Motives: A Test of the Incremental and Mediating Role of Distress Tolerance.

This investigation first examined the incremental validity of distress tolerance in terms of alcohol use coping motives within a trauma-exposed community sample of adults, beyond the variance contributed by posttraumatic stress symptom severity, difficulties in emotion regulation, alcohol consumption, and other (noncriterion) alcohol use motives. Secondly, the potential mediating role of distress tolerance in the association between posttraumatic stress symptom severity and alcohol use coping motives was tested. Participants were 83 community-recruited individuals (63.8% women; M(age) = 22.98, SD = 9.24) who endorsed exposure to at least one traumatic life event and past-month alcohol use. Participants were assessed using structured diagnostic interviews and a series of self-report inventories. Results were consistent with hypotheses, because distress tolerance was significantly and incrementally associated with alcohol use coping motives; and distress tolerance at least partially mediated the association between posttraumatic stress and alcohol use coping motives. Theoretical and clinical implications as well as future directions regarding the association between distress tolerance and alcohol use motives among trauma-exposed persons are discussed.