Substance use risk following trauma in military settings: Does organizational trust play a moderating role?

Although trauma has been widely documented as a key risk factor for substance use among military personnel, there is a notable paucity of research on the factors that may mitigate trauma-related substance use in this population. The present study examined the moderating role of organizational trust in the relationship between psychological trauma and substance use among military personnel in Nigeria. Using a cross-sectional design, 250 military personnel aged between 26 and 60 years (mean age = 34.99 years, SD = 9.23; males = 187 [74.8%], females = 63 [25.2%]) were conveniently sampled from a military formation in South-eastern Nigeria. Participants completed relevant measures. Results indicated that psychological trauma was positively associated with substance use, whereas, organizational trust had a negative relationship with substance use, and also moderated the relationship between psychological trauma and substance use. Specifically, individuals with higher levels of organizational trust reported fewer issues with substance use due to their trauma, suggesting that the presence of organizational trust mitigated the impact of psychological trauma on the use of substance among military personnel. Thus interventions designed to reduce the negative impacts of psychological trauma should focus on fostering and reinforcing a sense of trust in the military while taking into consideration individual characteristics and experiences of military personnel in order to maximize the effectiveness of the intervention.