Publication year
2017
Citation Title
The impact of military service and traumatic brain injury on the substance use norms of Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers and their spouses
Journal Name
Addictive Behaviors
Journal Volume
72
Page Numbers
51-56
DOI
10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.03.012
Summary
Service members with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may be more likely to engage in problematic substance use. Greater approval of use from partners may lead to more engagement in poor substance use behavior. This study explored how TBI and military status relate to Soldiers' substance use and their partners' degree of approval in using substances. Overall, findings revealed that partners were more accepting of substance use when the Soldier had symptoms of TBI and were no longer in the military.
Key Findings
Male Soldiers indicated lower approval of personal tobacco, prescription drug, and illicit drug use.
Female Soldiers with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) were less approving of personal alcohol use and also received less approval of alcohol use from their husbands.
Husbands of female Soldiers were more likely to approve of tobacco use and illicit drug use when their wives were no longer in the military and had symptoms of a TBI.
Wives of male Soldiers were more likely to approve of prescription drug use when their husbands were no longer in the military and had symptoms of a TBI.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide workshops to help Service members and their partners communicate effective coping strategies for dealing with symptoms of a TBI
Disseminate information regarding TBI symptoms for Service members and where individuals and families can find related supportive services
Offer support groups for Service members with a TBI and their partners in hopes to build a network of common others
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend education for service providers around the possible effects of a TBI on Service members’ use of substances, such as alcohol and illicit drugs
Encourage the development and continuation of programs that can promote positive coping strategies for families of Service members with a TBI
Encourage collaboration among DoD programs and community-based organizations to support a smooth transition for departing Service members, especially those who screen positive for a TBI
Methods
The sample was recruited over 15-months where the researchers attended 47 National Guard and Reserves unit events across New York.
Participants completed questionnaires assessing acceptability of substance use (e.g., alcohol, illicit drugs), presence of TBI, and current military status.
Statistical analyses were conducted to examine how TBI and military status related to Soldiers' own beliefs regarding substance use and partners' degree of approval regarding Soldiers' substance use.
Participants
The sample consisted of 248 male and 34 female U.S. Army Reserves and National Guard Soldiers and an equal amount of partners.
The average age for male Soldiers was 33 years (SD=6.2) and 32 years (SD=6.49) for their wives, comparably female Soldiers were 33 years (SD=4.7) and their husbands were 34 years (SD=5.9).
A majority of the sample were White (79%), followed by 10% who were Latino, 5% indicated other, and 4% were African American. Further information regarding race/ethnicity was not provided.
Limitations
Data were collected at one time point, therefore the long-term effects of TBI and military status on substance use cannot be determined.
The study findings are limited as there may be additional factors contributing to acceptability of substance use among Soldiers.
The non-random sample was recruited from National Guard and Reserves events across New York state, thus study findings may be limited in generalizing to Soldiers across the U.S. and in other military branches.
Avenues for Future Research
Collect a random sample of military couples from multiple military branches to assess the effects of military status and TBI on substance use acceptability
Explore additional factors that may contribute to substance use approval, such as combat exposure or deployment
Assess the long-term effects of TBI and military status on substance use approval among military couples
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and substance use are highly prevalent conditions among military populations. There is a significant body of evidence that suggests greater approval of substance use (i.e., norms) is related to increased substance use. The objective of this work is to understand the impact of TBI and military service on substance use norms of soldiers and their partners. Data are from the baseline assessment of Operation: SAFETY, an ongoing, longitudinal study of US Army Reserve/National Guard (USAR/NG) soldiers and their partners. Multiple regression models examined associations between alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug use, and non-medical use of prescription drug (NMUPD) norms within and across partners based on current military status (CMS) and TBI. Male USAR/NG soldiers disapproved of NMUPD, illicit drug use and tobacco use. There was no relation between military status and alcohol use. Among females, there was no relation between CMS and norms. The NMUPD norms of wives were more likely to be approving if their husbands reported TBI symptoms and had separated from the military. Husbands of soldiers who separated from the military with TBI had greater approval of the use of tobacco, NMUPD, and illicit drugs. Overall, there is evidence to suggest that, while generally disapproving of substance use, soldiers and partners become more accepting of use if they also experience TBI and separate from the military. Future research should examine the longitudinal influence of TBI on substance use norms and subsequent changes in substance use over time.
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