A network analysis of clinician-rated posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder symptom clusters in a sample of veterans seeking outpatient treatment.

The presentation of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder (SUD) differs by substance type. The current study applied network analysis to explore the relationships between diagnostic symptom clusters by examining the strength and direction of unique associations between PTSD and SUD. Network analyses were estimated using a sample of 422 veterans diagnosed with co-occurring PTSD/SUD initiating psychotherapy for PTSD while receiving concurrent outpatient SUD treatment as part of a randomized clinical trial.

Indirect Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms via Emotion Regulation Difficulties.

This study tested structural equation models of associations between childhood maltreatment (CM), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and emotion regulation (ER) difficulties in a sample of young adult college students ( = 606). The primary final model demonstrated that lack of emotional clarity and limited access to ER strategies partially mediated the association between CM and PTSD symptoms. Exploratory analyses showed that CM was also indirectly associated with PTSD symptoms via lack of emotional awareness, nonacceptance, and difficulty controlling impulses.