Post-Disaster Coping in Social Work Students: Examining Predictors of Substance Use

Purpose: Research examining social work students’ post-disaster coping is limited.  Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (HKR) are credited with the longest documented emergency period of any disaster in the United States. Substantial loss of both life and property devastated Louisiana and the Gulf-coast region. Experiencing large-scale collective traumatic events is often associated with negative behavioral health outcomes, including alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. These latter outcomes are linked to the use of negative coping strategies.  AOD use is a coping method associated with the experience of heightened trauma and PTSD symptoms.  Social work students providing post-disaster services to traumatized individuals while in the field may face additional vulnerabilities because of their relative inexperience. The present study sought to expand knowledge in this area by examining correlates of AOD use as a negative coping mechanism in the aftermath of HKR.

Methods: Utilizing secondary data, the current study employed multivariate binary logistic regression (LR) analysis to examine predictors of AOD use among a sample of social work students (N=290) residing in the Gulf-coast region in the wake of HKR.  Based on previous research, two primary predictor categories were examined in relation to post-disaster AOD use as a negative coping mechanism. Demographic characteristics included age, gender, and race; whereas psychosocial factors consisted of disaster-related stressors, previous traumatic experiences, and PTSD-like symptoms, as measured with the Modified PTSD Symptom Scale (MPSS-SR).  The study outcome, AOD use, was dichotomized (0=rarely; 1=often). It was hypothesized that psychosocial factors would better predict post-disaster AOD use than would demographic characteristics.

Results: The sample was primarily female (n=260; 89.6%) and Black (n=210; 72.4%). Individuals reported, on average, approximately 6 hurricane related stressors (M= 5.8; SD=3.48; range=0-18), few previous traumatic experiences (M=.42; SD=.82; range=0-7), and few PTSD -like symptoms (M=9.28; SD=9.81; range=0-51). Results of the LR indicated that the overall model correctly classified 94.5% of cases and it was statistically reliable in distinguishing between students who used AOD rarely and often (-2 Log Likelihood=99.08; χ²(6)=24.73, p<.000). Relevant predictors accounted for approximately 24% of the variance in post-disaster AOD use (Nagelkerke R² = .24, p < .000). LR results provided preliminary support for the hypothesis that psychosocial factors best predicted post-disaster AOD use. Among predictors, only PTSD-like symptoms significantly predicted whether students used AOD rarely or often to cope with HKR (Wald statistic=13.31,p<.000).  As MPSS-SR scores increased by one, the odds of using AOD often to cope with HKR increased by 1.09.  Thus, the severity of PTSD symptomology indicated little change in the likelihood of using AOD often post-HKR.

Implications for practice: Heightened PTSD-like symptomology (e.g., nightmares, intrusive thoughts) manifested as a particular vulnerability for some social work students who used AOD to cope in the aftermath of HKR.  Skilled supervision by faculty and field instructors can identify students at greater risk of using AOD as a post-disaster coping mechanism. Such students should be provided with specialized supports to facilitate more adaptive coping in the aftermath of disasters and other traumatic events.