Work-Related Traumatic Experiences And Alcohol Use As Predictors Of Sexual Risk Behaviours Among Military Personnel In Nigeria

Abstract

Military personnel constitute a high-risk population for sexual risk behaviours (SRBs) due to occupational stressors, including exposure to work-related trauma and elevated alcohol use. These dynamics remain understudied within the Nigerian military context. This study examined work-related trauma and alcohol use as predictors of SRBs, and tested alcohol use as a moderator of the trauma-SRB relationship, among Nigerian infantry soldiers. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a purposive sample of 292 active-duty infantry soldiers at Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna State (92.8% male; M age = 31.96, SD = 7.83), using the Combat Exposure Scale, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, and the Sexual Risk Behaviour Scale. Hierarchical regression and Hayes' PROCESS Macro (Model 1) were used for analysis. Work-related trauma significantly predicted SRBs when entered alone, but this effect became non-significant once alcohol use was added to the model. Alcohol use was the strongest predictor of SRBs overall. Alcohol use also significantly moderated the trauma-SRB relationship: trauma was associated with SRBs only among soldiers reporting alcohol use above the moderate-risk threshold, corresponding to roughly the top quarter of the sample. Alcohol use, rather than trauma exposure alone, appears to be a key factor linking occupational trauma to sexual risk-taking in this population. Integrated interventions combining trauma-informed care with alcohol misuse screening, rather than parallel or trauma-only programming, are recommended for the Nigerian military.