Post‐traumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence also share behavioral impairments, including hyperarousal, irritability, and reckless behavior, which are thought to be due to deficits in executive functions (Koob & Volkow, 2016; Logrip, Zorrilla, & Koob, 2012). Executive functions are central in carrying out efficient adaptive and goal‐directed behaviors such as inhibition and attentional control, set‐shifting and mental flexibility, working memory, and planning and problem‐solving (Packwood, Hodgetts, & Tremblay, 2011; Pennington & Ozonoff, 1996). While there are many studies investigating associations between PTSD and aspects of executive functioning (Flaks et al., 2014; Olff et al., 2014), one aspect of executive functioning, planning, and problem‐solving abilities have been understudied in individuals with PTSD. In the few studies that have been conducted (Aupperle et al., 2012) results were inconsistent, limited by small sample sizes of individuals with or without PTSD and only a single study investigated a specific type of trauma (Kanagaratnam & Asbjornsen, 2007; Lagarde, Doyon, & Brunet, 2010; Twamley et al., 2009; Vasterling et al., 2002). This suggests that the relationship between trauma, PTSD, and planning and problem‐solving needs further investigation in larger samples of male and female participants.
