Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Clinical presentations, social functioning, and treatment receipt among individuals with comorbid life-time PTSD and alcohol use disorders versus drug use disorders: findings from NESARC-III.

Simpson TL, Rise P, Browne KC, Lehavot K, Kaysen D. Clinical presentations, social functioning, and treatment receipt among individuals with comorbid life-time PTSD and alcohol use disorders versus drug use disorders: findings from NESARC-III. Addiction (Abingdon, England). 2019 Jun 1; 114(6):983-993.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

AIMS: To compare individuals with comorbid life-time post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders [AUD; i.e. no drug use disorders (DUD)] with those with comorbid PTSD and DUD on past-year prevalence of these disorders, social functioning, life-time psychiatric comorbidities, and treatment receipt. The comorbid groups were also compared with their single diagnosis counterparts. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional cohort study using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III). PARTICIPANTS: The total sample size was 36 309. Six groups were established: PTSD/AUD, PTSD/DUD, AUD, DUD, PTSD, and neither PTSD nor AUD/DUD. Life-time prevalence of AUD among those with PTSD/DUD was 80.2% and among those with DUD was 73.8%. MEASUREMENTS: The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-5 version assessed life-time and past-year psychiatric disorders and treatment receipt. Demographics and social stability indicators were queried. Group characteristics were summarized using weighted means. Prevalences and estimates for adjusted differences in means and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were derived from multiple linear regression and logistic regression models, respectively. Analyses were conducted in R and accounted for the NESARC-III's complex survey design, clustering, and non-response. FINDINGS: Compared with those with life-time PTSD/AUD, those with life-time PTSD/DUD were significantly less likely to have neither disorder in the past year (PTSD/AUD =  16.1%; PTSD/DUD  =  8.5%; aOR  =  0.54), and were more likely to report worse social and psychiatric functioning, and to have received both addiction and mental health treatment (PTSD/AUD  =  18.4%; PTSD/DUD  =  43.2%; aOR  =  3.88). Compared with their single disorder counterparts, those with PTSD/DUD reported greater impairment than both groups, whereas the comorbid PTSD/AUD group differed more from the AUD than the PTSD group. CONCLUSIONS: People with comorbid PTSD and drug use disorder have greater social and psychiatric impairment and may require different types and intensity of intervention than people with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.