Our first hypothesis was confirmed to a degree. A four-class solution fit the data best, although Class 2 was characterized by moderate as opposed to high alcohol severity as hypothesized. Furthermore, the expression of symptoms from low to high severity was associated with sex and the type of trauma experienced. Researchers have found ample evidence suggesting sex differences in both alcohol use (Erol & Karpyak, 2015), exposure to certain types of trauma (Silove et al., 2017; Tolin & Foa, 2006), and trauma response (Olff, 2017). Higher mean counts of AUD symptoms of AUD symptoms were associated with being male and having experienced physical assault; these findings were expected but directionality cannot be assumed. The only group with substantial overlap between AUD and PTS symptoms was the high-severity group, Class 4, in which 60% of the individuals in that group met PTS Criterion B (re-experiencing), 44% met Criterion C (numbing/avoidance), and 49% met Criterion D (hyperarousal). The other class with a significant combination of AUD and PTS symptoms, Class 3, endorsed fewer AUD symptoms overall, with the most commonly occurring AUD
