APS

2026 APS Annual Convention · 2026

Not a Buffer but a Burden: Purpose In Life Intensifies Trauma-Driven PTSD and Prescription Opioid Misuse

Barcelona, Spain · May 2026

Posters · Mind Under Pressure: Stress, Trauma & Resilience

  • 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.

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