of PTS symptoms that characterize persistent re-experiencing of trauma—internalizing symptoms. Breslau (2009) had previously found that females exposed to assaultive traumas demonstrated a higher preponderance of avoidance/numbing symptoms than did men and females not exposed to trauma, which coupled with Lehavot and colleagues’ (2014) work on women’s greater likelihood of alcohol use as a coping mechanism following trauma exposure led us to expect more loadings on the numbing symptom cluster with alcohol symptoms. Still, future research parsing out these differences is necessary. Our sample was comprised entirely of trauma-exposed individuals, perhaps rendering distinctions between classes of symptoms more subtle than in studies comparing those with trauma versus those without. It could also be the case that an internalizing-externalizing model does not provide the best explanation for comorbid symptoms of alcohol and PTS.
