Browsing by Author "Barger, Katy"
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Item Distress Tolerance Moderates the Relationship Between PTSD and Substance Use in a Sample of Inpatient Adolescents(2018-10-18) Barger, KatyThis study examined the moderating role of distress tolerance (DT) in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and history of illicit substance use in a sample of 66 trauma-exposed inpatient adolescents. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that included the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS; Foa, et al., 2001), the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992), and a modified version of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (M-YRBS; Brener et al., 2004). Participants also completed the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task—computerized version (PASAT-C; Lejuez, et al., 2003) as a measure of behavioral distress tolerance. Results revealed a borderline significant interaction between PTSD and distress tolerance predicting history of illicit substance use (p = .067). Examination of the conditional effects revealed that the relation between PTSD symptoms and illicit substance use was significantly positive among those with high (vs. low) levels of distress tolerance. Contrary to expectations, an increased ability to tolerate frustration during cognitively demanding tasks may represent a vulnerability factor for substance use among adolescents exposed to trauma. Replication with a larger sample is needed to test the generalizability of the findings.Item Distress Tolerance, PTSD symptoms, and Suicidal Ideation among Trauma-Exposed Inpatient Adolescents(2019-05) Barger, KatyObjective: The present investigation examined the moderating role of behaviorally-indexed distress tolerance (DT; operationalized herein as persistence in a cognitively demanding serial addition task) in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and suicidal ideation in a sample of trauma-exposed inpatient adolescents. It was hypothesized that the relation between PTSD symptoms and suicide ideation would be positive among those with high (vs. low) behaviorally-indexed DT. Method: The sample included 50 adolescents ages 12-17 years (52.0% female; Mage = 15.1 years, SD = 0.51, range = 12 - 17 years) with exposure to at least one traumatic event. Participants completed measures of PTSD symptom severity, health-risk behaviors, DT, and depressive symptomatology. Results: Adolescents who endorsed a history of suicidal ideation reported significantly greater PTSD symptoms (M = 19.76, SD = 12.47) compared to adolescents who denied suicidal ideation (M = 9.24, SD = 9.16), t = -3.44, p = .001. Although moderation analyses yielded a nonsignificant interaction, visual inspection and statistical analyses of the simple slopes revealed a trending conditional effect of DT on the relationship between PTSD and suicidal ideation, such that the relation was positive at high and moderate levels of DT (ps = .06). Conclusions: Findings revealed a positive relationship between PTSD and suicidal ideation at moderate and high levels of DT; however, statistical significance was not achieved. Replication with a larger sample is needed. The findings emphasize the need for early intervention focused on use of appropriate ways to regulate distress, especially among adolescents with high DT.