Open AccessDifferences in alcohol screening and alcohol problems among United States veterans based on military service history.
Author(s) -
Rachel A. Hoopsick,
Bonnie M. Vest,
D. Lynn Homish,
Gregory G. Homish
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
psychological services
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.855
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1939-148X
pISSN - 1541-1559
DOI - 10.1037/ser0000584
Subject(s) - active duty , veterans affairs , medicine , military service , military personnel , alcohol dependence , alcohol abuse , abstinence , alcohol , psychiatry , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry , political science , law , archaeology , history
Military deployment is a risk factor for alcohol problems, and postdeployment alcohol problems are more prevalent among part-time reservists than full-time active duty service members. However, emerging research suggests that reservists who never experience deployment are also at risk. We examined if never-deployed/activated reserve veterans differed from active duty/deployed veterans in alcohol screening and misuse. Using pooled cross-sectional data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH; 2015-2019), we estimated the prevalence of past-year self-reported alcohol screening by a health care provider and measured DSM-IV alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence among U.S. veterans aged 18-49 years with at least one health care visit in the past year ( N = 4,148). We used regression models to examine for differences in these outcomes between never-deployed/activated reserve veterans and active duty/deployed veterans. Overall, 15% of veterans reported not being screened for alcohol use, despite 1 in 11 meeting DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse/dependence. Active duty/deployed veterans were more likely to have been screened for alcohol use than never-deployed/activated reserve veterans ( p < .05). However, there was no difference in past-year alcohol abuse ( p > .05) or dependence ( p > .05) between never-deployed/activated reserve veterans and veterans with a history of active duty service/activation. Never-deployed/activated reserve veterans are less likely to be screened for alcohol use than active duty/deployed veterans, despite no significant difference in meeting alcohol abuse/dependence criteria. Providers may not recognize never-deployed reservists as veterans. We recommend systematic screening for military service history and alcohol use for all veterans, regardless of deployment/active duty service. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).