# The Role of Functional Health Literacy in terms of Harmful Alcohol Use in Adults with Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder

## TL;DR

This study explores how health literacy affects harmful alcohol use in adults with PTSD and alcohol use disorder.

## Contribution

The study highlights the role of functional health literacy in hazardous drinking among individuals with comorbid PTSD and AUD.

## Key findings

- Functional health literacy significantly correlates with hazardous drinking in adults with PTSD and AUD.
- The relationship remains significant even when accounting for posttraumatic stress symptoms.

## Abstract

The current study examined functional health literacy (FHL) in regard to hazardous drinking among a sample with probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Participants were 565 adults with probable PTSD and hazardous alcohol use (52.2% female, 68.8% Non-Hispanic White, average age = 39.2 years ± 10.9 years).

FHL literacy maintained statistically significant role in terms of hazardous drinking (p < .001) even in the context of posttraumatic stress.

FHL may be important to better understand hazardous drinking among persons with comorbid PTSD and AUD.