PTSD symptoms. However, PTSD accounted for a smaller proportion of the relationship between TE and AD and ND (~24% for both) than PTSD symptom count accounted for in the association between TE load and AD (49.8%) and ND (37.9%). These findings indicate that the accumulation of PTSD symptoms and not merely a PTSD diagnosis may increase risk for substance dependence. Although graded PTSD symptoms accounted for a greater proportion of the TE effect on substance dependence, the general pattern of associations was consistent regardless of type of variable used.
