Does Hazardous Alcohol Use Affect Intensive PTSD Treatment?
One of the most crucial parts of maintaining a healthy society is recognizing health trends among particular demographic groups within a population. One such case is the widespread incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, among veterans. Given the intense experiences many soldiers face during their service in warzones and other areas across the world, veterans often find themselves struggling to acclimate back into civilian life upon returning back home. One common issue with PTSD in veterans is a concurrent diagnosis of alcohol use disorder, with 55–68% of veterans suffering from both PTSD and alcohol use disorder. The high incidence of hazardous alcohol use (HAU) in veterans with PTSD highlights the need to determine whether common PTSD treatments are still effective for veterans with HAU. Prior research in this field has revealed the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy for PTSD, but it was unclear if HAU affects treatment outcomes.
To answer this pressing question, researchers from Rush University Medical Center followed the progress of 538 veterans with PTSD through a three-week intensive treatment program (ITP) for PTSD. ITPs use daily interventions for up to three weeks and generally have high completion rates. Within this cohort of 538 veterans, 195 had HAU and 343 did not. The main quantitative variables that the researchers tracked throughout the course of the treatment were the severity of the veterans’ PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, treatment attendance, and HAU severity.
To answer this pressing question, researchers from Rush University Medical Center followed the progress of 538 veterans with PTSD through a three-week intensive treatment program (ITP) for PTSD. ITPs use daily interventions for up to three weeks and generally have high completion rates. Within this cohort of 538 veterans, 195 had HAU and 343 did not. The main quantitative variables that the researchers tracked throughout the course of the treatment were the severity of the veterans’ PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, treatment attendance, and HAU severity.
Hazardous alcohol use (HAU) has a 55–68% co-occurrence with a PTSD diagnosis in veterans.
Image Source: Clker-Free-Vector-Images
As one might expect, the researchers found that veterans with HAU reported higher levels of PTSD and depression symptoms prior to treatment compared to the non-HAU veteran group. ITP attendance by both groups was very high (greater than 90%), which the researchers attributed to factors such as proximity of the treatment center to the veteran housing location. Overall, both veterans with and without HAU showed large decreases in PTSD and depression symptoms, supporting the validity of ITP-based treatment for veterans with high levels of alcohol use.
However, the study did have some limitations that warrant further research. For example, the metrics used to determine PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and HAU were self-reported as opposed to being diagnosed by clinicians. Furthermore, the researchers lacked the ability to completely control and experimentally monitor the full scope of treatment each veteran received, thus preventing them from attributing the effectiveness of the treatment solely to the ITP in the study. The researchers also recommended further research on long-term patient outcomes following ITPs and the effect of severe alcohol use on ITPs. Yet despite these shortcomings, this study is indicative of a hopeful future for veterans who are suffering from both HAU and PTSD, with ITPs being a promising option.
However, the study did have some limitations that warrant further research. For example, the metrics used to determine PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and HAU were self-reported as opposed to being diagnosed by clinicians. Furthermore, the researchers lacked the ability to completely control and experimentally monitor the full scope of treatment each veteran received, thus preventing them from attributing the effectiveness of the treatment solely to the ITP in the study. The researchers also recommended further research on long-term patient outcomes following ITPs and the effect of severe alcohol use on ITPs. Yet despite these shortcomings, this study is indicative of a hopeful future for veterans who are suffering from both HAU and PTSD, with ITPs being a promising option.
Featured Image Source: OpenClipart-Vectors
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