Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters, Depression, Alcohol Abuse, and General Stress Among Hispanic Male Firefighters

This study examined the association of the four posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters (re-experiencing, avoidance, dysphoria, and hyperarousal) included in the Dysphoria factor model to depression, substance abuse, and general stress among 551 male, Hispanic firefighters in a large metropolitan city in the United States. Approximately 11% of the participants demonstrated elevated PTSD compared with a 7% PTSD prevalence rate in the U.S. Hispanic population. Results of bivariate correlations and regression analyses indicated that, as expected, the dysphoria cluster captured a general distress dimension common to other affective disorders, whereas re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms demonstrated stronger specificity to depression than to substance abuse or general stress. Findings suggest that treatment approaches to PTSD with Hispanics should include interventions such as behavioral activation, which are designed to address non-specific distress.