Examining the indirect effect of posttraumatic stress symptoms via emotion dysregulation on alcohol misuse among trauma-exposed Latinx in primary care.

OBJECTIVES: Latinx individuals face substantial health disparities, particularly in the areas of mental health and substance use. Among Latinx in the U.S., alcohol is the most widely abused substance and is associated with a range of negative consequences. Among Latinx, limited past work has linked trauma exposure/symptoms to alcohol misuse, however not much is known regarding how trauma exposure/symptoms may impact alcohol misuse. One potential explanatory mechanism underlying associations of traumatic stress and problematic alcohol use is emotion dysregulation. The current study sought to examine the explanatory role of emotion dysregulation in the associations of traumatic stress symptoms with alcohol misuse among trauma-exposed Latinx. Alcohol misuse was operationalized by two outcomes: alcohol use severity and probable screen for hazardous drinking.

METHOD: Latinx adults (N = 238) were recruited from a Federally Qualified Health Center. Participants were interviewed using the M.I.N.I. and then completed various self-report assessments (in Spanish). Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate models.

RESULTS: Structural models fit the data well. These models evidenced statistically significant indirect effects of posttraumatic stress symptoms via emotion dysregulation on alcohol use severity and probable screen for hazardous drinking.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: In a sample comprising primarily females, posttraumatic stress symptoms may contribute to alcohol misuse and hazardous drinking attributable to maladaptive emotion regulation. Use of interventions targeting emotion dysregulation in the context of trauma and hazardous alcohol use among Latinx in primary care may be warranted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).