Kelly Megan M, DeBeer Bryann B, Chamberlin Elizabeth, Claudio Tracy, Duarte Brooke, Harris J Irene, Kennedy Meaghan A, Shirk Steven, Reilly Erin D
Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (VISN 1 MIRECC), Bedford, MA, USA.
VA Bedford Healthcare System, Bedford, MA, USA.
J Contextual Behav Sci. 2022 Oct;26:217-226. doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.10.004. Epub 2022 Oct 13.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation was a common experience as people were trying to keep themselves and others safe from infection. Veterans with problematic substance use are at particular risk of the consequences of social isolation. This study evaluated the nature of social interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of loneliness and psychological flexibility on self-reported substance use and physical and mental health functioning among U.S. veterans who reported problematic substance use. Data from 409 veterans with self-reported substance use concerns were obtained via a cross-sectional online survey. Results showed that many veterans who engaged in problematic substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic reported a number of social supports during this period and frequent communication with others, but still felt lonelier during the pandemic. In regression analyses, higher levels of loneliness were associated with more negative impacts of the pandemic, greater substance use, and poorer physical and mental health functioning. Psychological flexibility demonstrated significant unique variance in explaining mental health functioning during the pandemic after accounting for loneliness, but not for substance use or physical functioning. For veterans with high levels of loneliness, high levels of psychological flexibility were associated with a lower negative impact on quality of life due to the pandemic, but for veterans with low levels of loneliness, differing levels of psychological flexibility were not significantly associated with the negative impact of COVID-19. Overall, loneliness and psychological flexibility appear to be highly associated with the negative impact of COVID-19 on veterans with problematic substance use.
在新冠疫情期间，社交隔离是一种常见的经历，因为人们试图保护自己和他人免受感染。有物质使用问题的退伍军人尤其容易受到社交隔离后果的影响。本研究评估了新冠疫情期间社交互动的性质，以及孤独感和心理灵活性对报告有物质使用问题的美国退伍军人自我报告的物质使用情况以及身心健康功能的影响。通过横断面在线调查获得了409名自我报告有物质使用问题的退伍军人的数据。结果显示，许多在新冠疫情期间有物质使用问题的退伍军人在此期间报告了一些社会支持以及与他人的频繁交流，但在疫情期间仍感到更孤独。在回归分析中，更高水平的孤独感与疫情的更多负面影响、更多的物质使用以及更差的身心健康功能相关。在考虑了孤独感之后，心理灵活性在解释疫情期间的心理健康功能方面显示出显著的独特差异，但在解释物质使用或身体功能方面则不然。对于孤独感水平较高的退伍军人，高水平的心理灵活性与疫情对生活质量的较低负面影响相关，但对于孤独感水平较低的退伍军人，不同水平的心理灵活性与新冠疫情的负面影响没有显著关联。总体而言，孤独感和心理灵活性似乎与新冠疫情对有物质使用问题的退伍军人的负面影响高度相关。
