Environmental Suppression Mediates the Relationship between Posttraumatic Stress and Cannabis Use Among Trauma-Exposed College Students

Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress (PTS) are prominent risk factors for problematic substance use, but little research has evaluated the mechanisms that link PTS and substance use. Emerging research supports the utility of reward probability (i.e., access to and pleasure experienced in response to environmental reward) as a mediator of the relationship between trauma and alcohol use problems. However, no existing studies have examined whether reward probability mediates the link between PTS and cannabis use in trauma-exposed individuals.