ArticleAddictive behaviors2020
Changes in alcohol use, PTSD hyperarousal symptoms, and intervention dropout following veterans' use of VetChange.
Article in Addictive behaviors, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Group Therapy for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Among Veterans With Military Sexual Trauma: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2026Trial
- Network analysis of reasons for and against changing alcohol use among veterans engaged in a web-based intervention for hazardous drinking and PTSD symptoms.Addictive behaviors · 2023Trial
- Computerized Relational Agent to Deliver Alcohol Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment in Primary Care: a Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of general internal medicine · 2022Trial
- Digital health interventions for women in frontline public service roles: A systematic review of effectiveness in reducing substance use.PLOS digital health · 2026Article
- The Association of Stigma and Alcohol Treatment Interest Among Women Veterans.Translational issues in psychological science · 2026Article
- Scoping Review of Experience Sampling Methodology Investigations of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms.Clinical psychology : a publication of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association · 2026Article
- Staying Relevant in the Digital Age: Exploring the Evolving Frontier of Telehealth for Mental Health in the Military Health System and Veterans Health Administration.Current psychiatry reports · 2025Review
- Digital Health Interventions for Military Members, Veterans, and Public Safety Personnel: Scoping Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Risky sexual behavior in Veterans seeking substance use and mental health treatment.Addictive behaviors reports · 2024Article
- Article
- A conceptual framework for a neurophysiological basis of art therapy for PTSD.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Review
- Evaluation of an integrated personalized feedback intervention for hazardous drinkers with elevated anxiety sensitivity and PTSD symptoms: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Contemporary clinical trials communications · 2023Article
- Comparing psychosocial functioning, suicide risk, and nonsuicidal self-injury between veterans with probable posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder.Journal of affective disorders · 2022Article
- Does insomnia mediate the link between childhood trauma and impaired control over drinking, alcohol use, and related problems?Addictive behaviors reports · 2022Article
- Benefits of Digital Health Resources for Substance Use Concerns in Women: Scoping Review.JMIR mental health · 2021Article
- BNST specific mGlu5 receptor knockdown regulates sex-dependent expression of negative affect produced by adolescent ethanol exposure and adult stress.Translational psychiatry · 2021Article
- Dimensions of childhood trauma and their direct and indirect links to PTSD, impaired control over drinking, and alcohol-related-problems.Addictive behaviors reports · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveVeterans of Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts report high rates of drinking, PTSD, and low rates of treatment engagement. Web interventions may help address unmet treatment need; unfortunately, little is known regarding outcomes or adherence to these interventions. In this study, we examined VetChange treatment outcomes and downstream effects of alcohol reduction on PTSD symptoms and intervention dropout rates over six months.
methodParticipants included 222 veterans (77.5% men, 78.3% White) between 22 and 57 (mean age = 36.02, SD = 7.19). All VetChange users completed a brief alcohol assessment and received personal feedback, then received full access to intervention content including psychoeducation; motivational and cognitive-behavioral modules for relapse prevention, goal-setting, social support, stress, anger, and sleep management; and mood and drink tracking. Veterans completed self-report measures of alcohol use and PTSD symptoms at baseline, one, three, and six months.
resultsAlcohol use dropped by 43% over six months, p < .001, with the largest decrease occurring within the first month. Greater alcohol reduction in the first month predicted higher subsequent PTSD hyperarousal severity. Over half (52.3%) dropped out by month one, followed by 12.2% and 37.6% by months three and six. Hyperarousal symptoms, hypervigilance specifically, but not alcohol use predicted subsequent intervention dropout.
conclusionThese results highlight the importance of attending to the association between alcohol use and PTSD symptom change in web-based interventions for veterans. The fact that hyperarousal symptoms were associated with elevated risk for intervention dropout signifies the need for online intervention refinement aimed at tailoring content to time-varying symptom presentations.
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Registered trials
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