Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Alcohol Use Among Korean Firefighters: The Roles of Coping Motives for Drinking and Family Support

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the effects of coping motives for drinking, sleep quality, and family support on the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use among Korean firefighters. Methods: Data from 600 firefighters in a specific region of Korea were collected. Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and bootstrapping were used to analyze the data and PROCESS macro to verify the mediating effect of coping motives for drinking and sleep quality, as well as the moderating effect of family support. PTSD symptoms were measured using the PCL-5 (range = 0–80; probable PTSD ≥ 33; total score: 33.2 ± 15.2) and alcohol use was measured using the AUDIT-K (range = 0–40; risky drinking ≥ 8; total score: 6.8 ± 6.2). Results: PTSD symptom severity was significantly associated with alcohol use, and coping motives for drinking showed a significant indirect association in the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol use. However, sleep quality did not show a significant indirect association, and family support significantly moderated the association between PTSD symptom severity and alcohol use. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of addressing coping-motivated drinking and strengthening family support when managing alcohol problems associated with PTSD symptoms in firefighters. Education on adaptive stress-coping alternatives and family-centered support may help prevent alcohol misuse.