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COMBAT EXPOSURE, CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION, AND SUBSTANCE USE
Author(s) -
Cesur Resul,
Chesney Alexander,
Sabia Joseph J.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
economic inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1465-7295
pISSN - 0095-2583
DOI - 10.1111/ecin.12312
Subject(s) - environmental health , consumption (sociology) , binge drinking , adversary , active duty , substance use , alcohol consumption , military personnel , business , economics , psychology , medicine , computer security , psychiatry , alcohol , poison control , suicide prevention , political science , law , computer science , social science , biochemistry , chemistry , sociology
This study estimates the relationship between combat exposure and several risky health behaviors: cigarette consumption, binge drinking, and drug use. We find that the U.S. active duty military personnel deployed to combat zones with enemy firefight are more likely to subsequently smoke cigarettes, consume alcohol, and use illicit drugs than their counterparts deployed to noncombat operations. Our results suggest that the mental health effects of combat can explain up to two‐thirds of the estimated association between combat exposure and risky health behaviors. ( JEL H56, I12)