Publication year
2017
Citation Title
The association between discharge status, mental health, and substance misuse among young adult veterans.
Journal Name
Psychiatry Research
Journal Volume
256
Page Numbers
428-434
DOI
10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.011
Summary
Veterans' well-being may be influenced by whether they received an honorable discharge. For this study, Veterans completed questionnaires about their mental health and substance use to examine the associations between discharge status and Veterans' well-being. Results indicated that Veterans who were not honorably discharged were more likely to experience negative outcomes than Veterans who were honorably discharged.
Key Findings
Veterans who received General discharges (i.e., when Service members do not fully meet Honorable discharge standards but otherwise had good performance) and Other Than Honorable discharges (OTH; i.e., when service members display conduct that substantially depart from military standards) were more likely to report mental health symptoms than Veterans who received Honorable discharges.
Compared to Veterans who received Honorable discharges, those who received General and OTH discharges reported more alcohol and cannabis misuse.
Veterans who received General and OTH discharges perceived psychological help seeking more negatively than Veterans who were honorably discharged.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer support groups for Service members who are about to be discharged less than honorably to promote a healthy life style after their discharge
Educate Service members on military conduct standards periodically in order to decrease the rate of less than honorable discharge
Provide outreach services that increase Service members' awareness of available supports after they are discharged from the military
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage awareness campaigns in the military regarding how mental health problems may potentially cause misconduct and less than honorable discharges
Recommend training for professionals working with Service members to better understand the relationship between discharge status and mental health
Encourage the development of programs that support Service members who are about to be discharged less than honorably to lower their possibilities of having mental health problems and substance misuse
Methods
Participants were recruited through social media and Veteran Affairs by flyers and clinician referrals; they qualified for the study if they were U.S. Veterans and were between the ages of 18 and 34 years.
Measures included Veterans' mental health (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder), traumatic brain injury, substance misuse (alcohol and cannabis), and treatment attitude.
Data were analyzed to examine the associations between Veterans' discharge status, mental health, and substance misuse.
Participants
Participants were 734 Veterans (643 male and 91 female); the average age of participants was 28.29 years (age range = 19-34, SD = 3.39).
Most participants (76%) were White, Black (1%), or identified as others (23%). The military branches that participants served in were Army (59%), Navy (9%), Air Force (7%), and Marines (25%).
Most participants (84%) reported Honorable discharges, 12% reported General discharges, and 4% reported OTH discharges.
Limitations
The participants were between 18 and 34 years; therefore, caution must be taken to generalize the results to Veterans who are over 34 years old.
The cross-sectional design of the study does not allow for examining the causal relationship between discharge status and Veterans' mental health and substance use.
The discharge status was self-reported by the Veterans; therefore, it may not truly represent Veterans' real discharge status.
Avenues for Future Research
Extend the age range of participants so that Veterans of different age groups can be represented
Conduct longitudinal studies to investigate the potential causal relationship between discharge status and Veterans' mental health and substance use
Use official military records to determine each Veteran's discharge status so that the data are more accurate
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
Although 85% of military service members are discharged honorably, veterans who engage in misconduct during military service may receive other types of administrative or punitive discharges. The discharge type not only affects eligibility for benefits, but is associated with negative downstream consequences (e.g., homelessness, criminal justice involvement). However, limited empirical research has examined the mental health and substance use-related needs of veterans who were not Honorably discharged, and the few that have only focus on veterans who received punitive discharges. This study addressed gaps in the research literature on discharge status by examining differences in mental health, substance use, and attitudes toward psychological treatment among veterans who received Honorable, General Under Honorable Conditions, and Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharges. Young adult veterans (N = 734) were recruited online and completed a battery of self-report measures. Results indicated that veterans who received General and OTH discharges endorsed significantly greater rates of mental health conditions and substance misuse. They also reported more negative perceptions of mental health care. Because these veterans may also experience more barriers to accessing mental health services, it is critical to consider ways to connect these veterans with needed services.
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