APS
2026 APS Annual Convention · 2026
Not a Buffer but a Burden: Purpose In Life Intensifies Trauma-Driven PTSD and Prescription Opioid Misuse
- William Haber
Old Dominion University - Zhanna Mizgina
Old Dominion University - Jeffrey Gabelmann
Old Dominion University - Marvin Morales Valles
- Michelle Kelley
Old Dominion University
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences heighten PTSD risk and subsequent opioid misuse. Though purpose in life is expected to buffer this pathway, it showed a paradox: higher purpose strengthened the PTSD–opioid misuse link, revealing complex dynamics of meaning in trauma-related addiction.