# Daily State-like Distress Tolerance and Alcohol Use Motivation among Hazardous Drinkers with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

> **NIH NIH F31** · UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON · 2021 · $36,709

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Hazardous drinking and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are both highly prevalent and frequently
comorbid public health conditions that result in more severe clinical and functional outcomes than either
individual disorder12-17. There are currently no “gold standard,” evidence-based treatments available for this
comorbidity.18 Moreover, the most promising interventions for this population are marked by high rates of
attrition and small treatment effect sizes19, leaving this group underserved and lacking a robust and clinically
significant intervention20. Some research suggests that individual differences in distress tolerance (DT) are
theoretically relevant to both hazardous drinking and PTSD21-25. DT reflects the perceived or objective ability to
withstand negative affective or bodily states26. DT is relatively stable (i.e., it has trait-like qualities), but recent
work indicates that it also maintains state-like qualities27, 28. State-like DT is a psychological process expressed
repeatedly and continuously over time29. Past work has not integrated state-like DT in terms of PTSD and
hazardous drinking comorbidity. To fill this gap and facilitate mechanistic knowledge that can inform future
treatment development for this population, the proposed research will examine the following primary aims in an
ecological momentary assessment (EMA) framework over a 21-day time-sampling epoch: to examine
whether state-like lower DT mediates the association between PTSD symptoms at baseline and alcohol use
motivation; and whether state-like DT mediates the association between PTSD symptoms at baseline and
hazardous drinking. The primary hypothesis of this project is that lower state-like DT will mediate the
association between baseline PTSD symptoms and alcohol outcomes listed in A.1.a. and A.2.a. In seeking to
identify and understand state-like DT as a mechanism of action that may underly alcohol use and co-occurring
conditions (e.g., PTSD), this proposal addresses the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
(NIAAA) strategic planning goals (Objective 1a). This award will support focused training in research methods
and statistical analysis that would not otherwise be possible, as well as provide the opportunity to conduct
research to develop a greater understanding of state-like DT as a potential mechanism influencing PTSD-
hazardous alcohol use associations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10307202
- **Project number:** 1F31AA029022-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Maya Zegel
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $36,709
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-07-01 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10307202

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10307202, Daily State-like Distress Tolerance and Alcohol Use Motivation among Hazardous Drinkers with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (1F31AA029022-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10307202. Licensed CC0.

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