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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a major health concern among veterans, specifically African American veterans, and is commonly comorbid with other negative mental health outcomes including substance use disorders (SUD) and symptoms of depression. The current study examined intolerance of uncertainty as a mediator of the relationship between PTSD and depression symptoms in a sample of African American veterans with a dual diagnosis of PTSD and SUD. Participants included 113 African American veterans who were in treatment for PTSD and SUD at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Five mediation analyses were conducted to examine the mediational effect of intolerance of uncertainty on the relationship between PTSD symptom clusters (i.e., total, hyperarousal, numbness, avoidance, and intrusion) and depression symptoms. Findings indicated that intolerance of uncertainty mediated the relationship between four of the five mediation models (i.e., total symptoms, hyperarousal, numbness, and intrusion). These results imply that for African American veterans, higher levels of certain PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty, which in turn were related to increased levels of depression symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Resilience has been associated with less severe psychiatric symptomatology and better treatment outcomes among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders. However, it remains unknown whether resilience increases during psychotherapy within the comorbid PTSD and substance use disorder population with unique features of dual diagnosis, including trauma cue-related cravings. We tested whether veterans seeking psychotherapy for comorbid PTSD and substance use disorder reported increased resilience from pre- to posttreatment. We also tested whether increased resilience was associated with greater decreases in posttreatment PTSD and substance use disorder symptoms. Methods: Participants were 29 male veterans (Mage = 49.07 years, SD = 11.24 years) receiving six-week residential day treatment including cognitive processing therapy for PTSD and cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use disorder. Resilience, PTSD symptoms, and trauma cue-related cravings were assessed at pre- and posttreatment. Results: Veterans reported a large, significant increase in resilience posttreatment (Mdiff = 14.24, t = −4.22, p <.001, d = 0.74). Greater increases in resilience were significantly associated with fewer PTSD symptoms (β = −0.37, p =.049, sr = −.36) and trauma-cued cravings (β = −0.39, p =.006, sr = −.38) posttreatment when controlling for pretreatment scores and baseline depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Results suggest that evidence-based psychotherapy for comorbid PTSD and substance use disorder may facilitate strength-based psychological growth, which may further promote sustained recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) are highly comorbid among the veteran population. Impulsivity, particularly negative and positive urgency, are prevalent within this dual-diagnosis population and associated with negative outcomes. One possible correlate of negative/positive urgency is intolerance of uncertainty (IU). IU is associated with exacerbated PTSD symptom severity and increased risk for substance use. However, few studies have examined the link between IU and negative/positive urgency in dual-diagnosis populations. This study aimed to examine whether there was a significant association between trait IU and baseline negative and positive urgency in veterans seeking treatment for both PTSD and SUD. In a sample of 114 veterans from a 6-week residential treatment program, IU was significantly associated with higher negative and positive urgency. Further research is warranted to extend these findings and examine whether IU plays an important role in negative/positive urgency for dual-diagnosis populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of developing a substance use disorder (SUD) is significantly higher among veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans with this co-occurrence have poorer outcomes than singly diagnosed veterans, which may be related to two risk factors: intolerance uncertainty (IU) and low tolerance of emotional distress (TED). We hypothesized low TED and high IU would independently and interactively relate to heightened PTSD symptomatology and trauma-cue elicited SUD cravings. A sample of 70 veterans (M age = 50; 95% men; 65% Black) with co-occurring PTSD-SUD was recruited. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL), Craving Questionnaire, Distress Tolerance Scale, and Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale were administered. In general, low TED and high IU were significantly correlated with the PCL total and subscale scores. When examined within regression models, low TED was associated with elevated PCL scores and trauma-cue elicited SUD cravings; IU was not. However, there was a significant interaction between IU and TED; veterans with elevated IU and low TED had higher PCL Total, Hyperarousal, and Intrusions scores. This highlights the importance of assessing TED and IU among veterans with co-occurring PTSD-SUD, as these risk factors may not only be prognostic indicators of outcomes, but also treatment targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present study examines anxiety and disgust responding during exposure to trauma cues as a function of gender and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Trauma exposed adults without PTSD were compared to adults with PTSD during a script-driven imagery procedure that exposed each participant to individualized traumatic event cues. Anxiety responding during exposure to an individualized traumatic event script was not associated with gender, PTSD, or interaction of gender and PTSD in the present study. However, gender did moderate the relation between disgust responding and PTSD, such that females with PTSD reported more disgust during the script in comparison to females without PTSD and males with and without PTSD. Heart rate during the individualized trauma script was significantly higher among males with PTSD compared to males without PTSD and females with PTSD. Implications of these findings for conceptualizing how gender differences in emotional and physiological responding contribute to development and course of PTSD are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]