(PS14-40) Probing the Relationship Between PMIE Exposure, Occupational Social Support, and Alcohol Use in a Sample of First Responders

There is mixed evidence for the relationship between exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) and substance use. One study found that exposure to PMIEs did not increase the chances of problematic drinking (Maguen et al., 2020). However, a more recent study suggested that exposure to certain PMIE types was associated with alcohol use disorder (AUD), substance use disorder (SUD), and drug use disorder (DUD), with specific associations varying by PMIE type (i.e., perpetration, witnessing, and betrayal; Maguen et al., 2023). One possible protective factor against negative outcomes related to PMIE exposure is perceived social support. Indeed, in their seminal article, Litz et al. (2009) posited that the presence of forgiving supports may protect against the manifestation of moral injury following PMIE exposure. In line with this, negative associations between moral injury and perceived social support have been identified in prior work (Currier et al., 2018). Despite serving a potential protective role against a number of adverse outcomes associated with PMIE exposure, recent work has suggested that perceived social support may play a paradoxical moderating role in the relationship between PMIE exposure and problematic substance use. Specifically, the link between exposure to PMIEs and substance use may be stronger for individuals with higher levels of perceived social support. This was demonstrated in a recent study by Ashwal-Malka and colleagues (2022), who found that the association between exposure to perpetration-based PMIEs and betrayal-based PMIEs and cannabis use disorder (CUD) was only significant for participants with average or high levels of perceived social support. Another study found that perpetration-based PMIE exposure significantly predicted lower levels of perceived social support, which in turn predicted lower frequency of alcohol use (Feingold et al., 2018). The present study set out to further probe the relationship between PMIE exposure, social support, and problematic substance use in a sample of first responders, a population exposed to PMIEs at high rates (Tappenden et al., 2023). Specifically, the present study examined the possible moderating role of occupational social support – the level to which first responders feel supported by members of their workplace – in the relationship between PMIE exposure and problematic drinking. Results indicated that witnessing- and betrayal-based PMIE exposure endorsement was negatively associated with occupational social support (ps .012 - .041). However, there were no significant correlations between PMIE-type and alcohol use (ps > .05). Further, occupational social support did not significantly moderate the association between exposure to any of the PMIE-types and alcohol use (ps > .05). The findings of this study suggest that PMIE exposure may not be related to problematic drinking in first responders. Further, they suggest that, contrary to prior findings for perceived social support outside the workplace, occupational social support may be less influential in the relationship between PMIE exposure and substance use. Further theoretical implications and conclusions will be discussed.