# Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Alcohol Use Among Korean Firefighters: The Roles of Coping Motives for Drinking and Family Support

## TL;DR

Korean firefighters with higher PTSD symptoms tend to use alcohol more, especially when they drink to cope, but strong family support can reduce this link.

## Contribution

This study identifies coping motives and family support as key factors linking PTSD symptoms to alcohol use in Korean firefighters.

## Key findings

- PTSD symptom severity is positively linked to alcohol use among Korean firefighters.
- Coping motives for drinking mediate the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use.
- Family support moderates the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
Post-traumatic stress symptom severity was positively associated with alcohol use among Korean firefighters, with coping motives for drinking showing a significant mediating effect.Family support significantly moderated the relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms and alcohol use, whereas sleep quality did not show a significant mediating role.

Post-traumatic stress symptom severity was positively associated with alcohol use among Korean firefighters, with coping motives for drinking showing a significant mediating effect.

Family support significantly moderated the relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms and alcohol use, whereas sleep quality did not show a significant mediating role.

What are the implications of the main findings?
Interventions focusing on coping-related drinking motives may help reduce alcohol misuse among firefighters with elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms.Strengthening family support should be considered a key component of mental health and alcohol prevention programs for firefighters.

Interventions focusing on coping-related drinking motives may help reduce alcohol misuse among firefighters with elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Strengthening family support should be considered a key component of mental health and alcohol prevention programs for firefighters.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of coping motives for drinking, sleep quality, and family support on the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use among Korean firefighters. Methods: Data from 600 firefighters in a specific region of Korea were collected. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and bootstrapping were used to analyze the data and PROCESS macro to verify the mediating effect of coping motives for drinking and sleep quality, as well as the moderating effect of family support. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PCL-5 (range = 0–80; probable PTSD ≥ 33; total score: 33.2 ± 15.2) and alcohol use was measured using the AUDIT-K (range = 0–40; risky drinking ≥ 8; total score: 6.8 ± 6.2). Results: PTSD symptom severity was significantly associated with alcohol use, and coping motives for drinking showed a significant indirect association in the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use. However, sleep quality did not show a significant indirect association, and family support significantly moderated the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of addressing coping-motivated drinking and strengthening family support when managing alcohol problems associated with PTSD symptoms in firefighters. Education on adaptive stress-coping alternatives and family-centered support may help prevent alcohol misuse.