Posttraumatic stress hyperarousal symptoms mediate the relationship between childhood exposure to violence and subsequent alcohol misuse in Mi'kmaq youth

This study was part of a school-based collaborative research project with a Canadian Mi'kmaq community that examined the potential role of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom clusters in mediating the relationship between childhood exposure to violence (EV) and alcohol misuse in a sample of Mi'kmaq adolescents (N = 166). The study employed a cross-sectional design and used several well-validated self-report questionnaires. Path analytic results showed that when each PTS symptom cluster was independently investigated for mediating effects while controlling for depressive symptoms, age, and gender, only the PTS hyperarousal symptom cluster fully mediated the EV-alcohol misuse relationship. Results are discussed within the context of previous theory and research on the topic of PTS as a mediator between EV and alcohol misuse.