Probabilities of PTSD and related substance use among Canadian adults

Connolly, Ross D. (2018) Probabilities of PTSD and related substance use among Canadian adults. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and probabilities of comorbidities between self-reported PTSD and smoking, alcohol binge drinking, and substance use disorders (SUDs) from a national Canadian sample. Data were taken from the Public Use Microdata File of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey–Mental Health (N = 17 311). The prevalence of (a) smoking, (b) alcohol binge drinking, and (c) SUDs was estimated among those with a PTSD diagnosis versus those without a PTSD diagnosis. After controlling for potential socioeconomic and mental health covariates, self-reported PTSD acted as a significant predictor for group membership in the heaviest smoking, heaviest drinking, and heaviest drug usage categories. Individuals self-reporting a diagnosis of PTSD were found to have a significantly higher likelihood of engaging in smoking and alcohol binge drinking, and were more likely to meet criteria for SUDs than individuals not reporting a PTSD diagnosis. Implications of the findings are discussed.

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