The Indirect Relationship between Interpersonal Trauma History and Alcohol Use via Negative Cognitions in a Multisite Alcohol Treatment Sample

Abstract

Although interpersonal trauma history (ITH) is frequently associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), little is known about specific psychological constructs that may indirectly link these phenomena. This study hypothesized that one such construct may be negative cognitive schemas that often emerge in the aftermath of trauma. Secondary latent variable modeling was conducted using the Project MATCH sample of adults receiving treatment for AUD (N = 1726; 24.3% women; 38.63% ITH). The negative cognitions latent variable provided an excellent fit to the data and showed evidence of strong measurement invariance. As hypothesized, negative cognitions mediated the inverse association between ITH at baseline and percent days abstinent from alcohol 12 weeks later. Findings suggest that negative cognitions may be a specific underlying mechanism and potential treatment target for individuals with ITH and AUD.

Posttraumatic cognitions and sexual assault: Understanding the role of cognition type in posttraumatic stress symptoms and problematic alcohol use

“…Several studies have shown that posttraumatic cognitions mediate the association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol outcomes in community and college samples. Fokas and colleagues (2020) found that an observed positive association between assault and alcohol use was partially explained by the presence of negative cognitions. Thompson and Kingree (2010) found that the association between sexual victimization and alcohol problems was influenced by the presence of negative cognitions.…”