Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Misuse Among Black Emerging Adults: The Influence of Social Support

Abstract

Objective: Black emerging adults are significantly impacted by substance misuse. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with heightened substance misuse among Black emerging adults. However, limited research has identified protective factors that may influence the strength of the relation between PTSD and substance misuse in this population. Addressing this important limitation, the present study examined the potential moderating role of perceived social support in the association between PTSD symptoms and substance (i.e., alcohol and drug) misuse. Methods: Participants were 182 trauma-exposed Black emerging adults (M age = 20.50; 71.3% women) who completed self-report measures assessing PTSD symptoms, alcohol and drug misuse, and perceived social support. Results: PTSD symptoms were significantly and positively correlated with both alcohol and drug misuse. Moderation analyses indicated that positive relations between PTSD symptoms and both alcohol and drug misuse were only significant among Black emerging adults with lower (but not higher) levels of perceived social support. Conclusions: These findings suggest the potential utility of addressing social support in the assessment and treatment of substance misuse in trauma-exposed Black emerging adults.

Keywords:

• Substance misuse
• posttraumatic stress disorder
• perceived social support
• alcohol misuse
• drug misuse

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Acknowledgments

This study was presented virtually at the 54th Annual Convention of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in November 2020. This study was also presented virtually at the 36th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies in Atlanta, Georgia in November 2020.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). The author(s) report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Additional information

Funding

Work on this paper was supported, in part, by National Institute on Drug Abuse Grant K23 DA039327, awarded to Nicole H. Weiss. Nicole H. Weiss also acknowledges support from the Center for Biomedical Research and Excellence (COBRE) on Opioids and Overdose funded by the National Institute on General Medical Sciences (P20 GM125507). Work on this paper by Joseph S. Rossi was supported, in part, by National Institutes of Health Grant G20 RR030883. Work on this paper by Silvi C. Goldstein was supported, in part, by National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Grant F31 AA029274. Opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institutes of Health.