Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, USC Center for Artificial Intelligence in Society, USC Center for Mindfulness Science, USC Institute for Addiction Science, University of Southern California, United States.
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, United States.
Addict Behav. 2021 Nov;122:107052. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107052. Epub 2021 Jul 15.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had considerable behavioral health implications globally. One subgroup that may be of particular concern is U.S. veterans, who are susceptible to mental health and substance use concerns. The current study aimed to investigate changes in alcohol use and binge drinking before and during the first year of the pandemic among U.S. veterans, and how pre-pandemic mental health disorders, namely posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and COVID-19-related factors like loneliness, negative reactions to COVID-19, and economic hardship influenced alcohol use trends.
1230 veterans were recruited in February 2020 as part of a larger survey study on veteran health behaviors. Veterans were asked to complete follow-up assessments throughout the pandemic at 6, 9, and 12- months.
Overall, veterans reported a significant decrease in alcohol use (IRR = 0.98) and binge drinking (IRR = 0.11) However, women, racial/ethnic minority veterans, and those with pre-existing PTSD exhibited smaller decreases in alcohol use and binge drinking and overall higher rates of use compared to men, White veterans, and those without PTSD. Both economic hardship and negative reactions to COVID-19 were associated with greater alcohol and binge drinking whereas loneliness showed a negative association with alcohol use and binge drinking.
Veterans reported decreases in alcohol use and binge drinking throughout the pandemic, with heterogeneity in these outcomes noted for higher risk groups. Special research and clinical attention should be given to the behavioral health care needs of veterans in the post-pandemic period.
COVID-19 大流行在全球范围内对行为健康产生了重大影响。一个可能特别值得关注的亚组是美国退伍军人，他们容易出现心理健康和药物使用问题。本研究旨在调查美国退伍军人在大流行前一年和大流行期间饮酒和狂饮的变化，以及先前存在的心理健康障碍（即创伤后应激障碍）和 COVID-19 相关因素（如孤独、对 COVID-19 的负面反应和经济困难）如何影响饮酒趋势。
2020 年 2 月，作为一项关于退伍军人健康行为的大型调查研究的一部分，招募了 1230 名退伍军人。要求退伍军人在整个大流行期间在 6、9 和 12 个月时进行后续评估。
总体而言，退伍军人报告饮酒量（IRR=0.98）和狂饮量（IRR=0.11）显著下降。然而，与男性、白人退伍军人和没有创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人相比，女性、种族/少数民族退伍军人以及先前存在创伤后应激障碍的退伍军人饮酒和狂饮量的减少幅度较小，且总体使用率较高。经济困难和对 COVID-19 的负面反应均与饮酒和狂饮量增加有关，而孤独与饮酒和狂饮量呈负相关。
退伍军人在整个大流行期间报告饮酒量和狂饮量减少，但高风险群体的这些结果存在异质性。在大流行后时期，应特别关注退伍军人的行为健康护理需求。
Zotero 插件
