Sleep Quality and Hazardous Alcohol Use: Indirect Effects of Coping-Oriented Alcohol Use among Individuals with Probable Posttraumatic Stress and Hazardous Alcohol Use

Poor sleep quality may be associated with using alcohol to cope with distress, and, in turn, hazardous alcohol use among those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hazardous alcohol use. The current study tested the indirect effect of coping-oriented alcohol use motives in the associations between poor sleep quality and hazardous alcohol use in a cross-sectional sample of adults with probable comorbid PTSD and hazardous alcohol use. A nationally representative sample of 409 adults (Mage=39; 51% women) reporting probable PTSD and hazardous alcohol use completed an online battery of self-report surveys. Heightened sleep onset latency and daytime dysfunction due to poor sleep were uniquely associated with hazardous alcohol use with small effect sizes. There was an indirect effect of coping-oriented alcohol use motives in this association, after accounting for age, gender, and PTSD symptom severity. Heightened sleep onset latency and daytime dysfunction, both associated with insomnia, are facets of sleep quality associated with increased hazardous alcohol use. These aspects of sleep quality may be related to hazardous alcohol use via coping-oriented use. Future research should replicate these findings using longitudinal designs. The present findings add to the growing body of research identifying poor sleep quality as a correlate of problematic substance use.