Context High rates of alcohol misuse after deployment have been reported among personnel returning from past conflicts, yet investigations of alcohol misuse after return from the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are lacking. Objectives To determine whether deployment with combat exposures was associated with new-onset or continued alcohol consumption, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems. Design, Setting, and Participants Data were from Millennium Cohort Study participants who completed both a baseline (July 2001 to June 2003; n=77 047) and follow-up (June 2004 to February 2006; n=55 021) questionnaire (follow-up response rate = 71.4%). After we applied exclusion criteria, our analyses included 48 481 participants (active duty, n = 26 613; Reserve or National Guard, n = 21 868). Of these, 5510 deployed with combat exposures, 5661 deployed without combat exposures, and 37 310 did not deploy. Main Outcome Measures New-onset and continued heavy weekly drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems at follow-up. Results Baseline prevalence of heavy weekly drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems among Reserve or National Guard personnel who deployed with combat exposures was 9.0%, 53.6%, and 15.2%, respectively; follow-up prevalence was 12.5%, 53.0%, and 11.9%, respectively; and new-onset rates were 8.8%, 25.6%, and 7.1%, respectively. Among active-duty personnel, new-onset rates were 6.0%, 26.6%, and 4.8%, respectively. Reserve and National Guard personnel who deployed and reported combat exposures were significantly more likely to experience new-onset heavy weekly drinking (odds ratio [OR], 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36-1.96), binge drinking (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.24-1.71), and alcohol-related problems (OR, 1.63; 95% CI, 1.33-2.01) compared with nondeployed personnel. The youngest members of the cohort were at highest risk for all alcohol-related outcomes. Conclusion Reserve and National Guard personnel and younger service members who deploy with reported combat exposures are at increased risk of new-onset heavy weekly drinking, binge drinking, and alcohol-related problems.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/articlepdf/182376/joc80067_663_675.pdf

Alcohol use and alcohol-related problems before and after military combat deployment

PTSD symptom clusters in relationship to alcohol misuse among Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans seeking post-deployment VA health care

Binge drinking among U.S. active-duty military personnel.

Background: When disasters occur, humanitarian relief workers frequently deploy to assist in rescue/recovery efforts.Aims: To conduct a systematic review of factors affecting the psychological wellbeing of disaster relief workers and identify recommendations for interventions.Method: We searched MEDLINE®, Embase, PsycINFO® and Web of Science for relevant studies, supplemented by hand searches. We performed thematic analysis on their results to identify factors predicting wellbeing.Results: Sixty-one publications were included. Key themes were: pre-deployment factors (preparedness/training); peri-deployment factors (deployment length/timing; traumatic exposure; emotional involvement; leadership; inter-agency cooperation; support; role; demands and workload; safety/equipment; self-doubt/guilt; coping strategies) and post-deployment factors (support; media; personal and professional growth).Conclusions: As well as role-specific stressors, many occupational stressors not specific to humanitarian relie...

Risk and resilience factors affecting the psychological wellbeing of individuals deployed in humanitarian relief roles after a disaster.

The cumulative effect of different childhood trauma types on self-reported symptoms of adult male depression and PTSD, substance abuse and health-related quality of life in a large active-duty military cohort.

Objective: This study builds on research linking work culture and drinking behavior to examine the influence of the military work environment, especially deployment and liberty, on heavy and heavy episodic drinking among career enlistees and officers. Method: Both quantitative (self-administered cross-sectional survey data collected from 2,380 respondents) and qualitative (home-base and shipboard observations and ethnographic interviews with 81 enlisted and officer personnel) methods provided data. Linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between occupational factors (enforcement of alcohol policy, work problems, work-related stress, and length of deployment) and positive normative beliefs for heavy drinking during deployment liberty. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between positive normative beliefs and four drinking-related outcomes (past 12-month Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition [DSM-IV], alcohol abuse and f...

Pamela Stern

Papers

Military culture and drinking behavior among U.S. Navy careerists.