# Daily Predictors of Alcohol Use among Sexual Violence Survivors: The Role of Intraindividual Changes in Sleep Duration and PTSD Symptoms

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN · 2021 · $46,036

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Researchers have identified alcohol use as a common concern among women who have experienced
sexual violence (SV), with important public health implications. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
symptoms following sexual victimization may contribute to these increased rates of alcohol use. The
predominant theoretical explanation for these associations is the self-medication hypothesis, which posits that
sexual violence survivors use alcohol in order to cope with the psychological distress associated with acute
experiences of PTSD. Despite the temporal, within-person nature of this theory, little attention has been given
to daily associations between acute PTSD symptoms, trauma-related drinking to cope, and ensuing alcohol
use by SV survivors. Moreover, little research has examined sleep duration as a factor that may play an
important role in this process, despite emerging theory suggesting that sleep loss has crucial effects on affective
functioning and may exacerbate daily PTSD symptoms. Drawing on these findings, the central hypotheses in
the present study are that shorter than usual sleep duration is likely to have a proximal effect on increased
PTSD symptoms the next day, and that greater than usual PTSD symptoms will in turn predict increased
alcohol use later that day through increased trauma-related drinking to cope motives. In addition, we expect
that acute PTSD symptoms and trauma-related drinking to cope may be a serial indirect pathway through
which shorter than usual sleep duration leads to increased next-day alcohol consumption among female SV
survivors. To test these hypotheses, a sample of 80 community women with a history of sexual violence who
are problematic drinkers will complete repeated daily measures of sleep duration, PTSD symptoms, trauma-
related drinking to cope, and alcohol use over three weeks using ecological momentary assessment (EMA).
Sleep duration each night will be assessed using an integrated measure of actigraphy and self-report; self-
reported PTSD symptoms, trauma-related drinking to cope motives and alcohol use will be assessed via cell
prompts sent to participants three times a day in the morning, afternoon, and evening. These innovative
methodological approaches will permit a prospective examination of dynamic symptom changes to capture
daily predictors of increased alcohol use. Findings from this study are expected to clarify key proximal
processes that promote acute drinking behaviors among women who have experienced sexual violence. Results
may inform the development of effective intervention strategies to reduce drinking to cope among sexual
assault survivors and, in turn, help prevent alcohol use and related health consequences in this population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10234764
- **Project number:** 1F31AA028996-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN
- **Principal Investigator:** Alexandra N Brockdorf
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,036
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-02-26 → 2023-06-25

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10234764

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10234764, Daily Predictors of Alcohol Use among Sexual Violence Survivors: The Role of Intraindividual Changes in Sleep Duration and PTSD Symptoms (1F31AA028996-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10234764. Licensed CC0.

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