Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Substance abuse and other adverse outcomes for military-connected youth in California: Results from a large-scale normative population survey.
Journal Name
Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics
Journal Volume
169
Issue Number
10
Page Numbers
922-928
DOI
10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1413
Summary
Data from the 2013 California Healthy Kids Survey (N = 688,713) were used to examine associations between military affiliation and youth substance use, violence, and weapon carrying. Military-connected youth were more likely than their civilian peers to report using substances, experiencing both physical and nonphysical violence, and carrying weapons.
Key Findings
Although most military-connected youth demonstrate resilience, some may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors during wartime.
Military-connected youth were 59% more likely than civilian youth to report recent cigarette use and 50% more likely to report recent alcohol use.
Youth whose parents/caregivers were in the military were 48% more likely to have experienced physical violence (e.g., being pushed, shoved, or slapped) and 42% more likely to have endured non-physical harassment (e.g., having rumors spread) than civilian youth.
Military-connected youth were twice as likely to report carrying a gun than civilian youth.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer support groups for military-connected youth focused to increase social support and access to resources
Provide classes for military parents about talking to children about substance use and other risky behaviors
Include information about violence and bullying in family program curricula
Implications for Policy Makers
Support collaborations between school personnel (i.e., teachers, counselors) and parents to develop initiatives to support military-connected youth and military families
Recommend assessing substance use and experience of violence among military-connected youth
Methods
Data were drawn from the 2013 California Healthy Kids Survey (completed by 85% of the school districts in the state).
Participants completed scales of parents’ participation in the military, lifetime and recent substance use, physical violence, nonphysical harassment (e.g., rumors spread about respondent), and weapon carrying.
Logistic regression was used to examine associations among violence, harassment, weapon carrying, and the odds of substance use between military-connected and civilian youth.
Participants
Youth (N = 688,713) in 7th, 9th, and 11th grades participated, approximately 7.94% of whom (n = 54,684) were military-connected.
Regarding gender: 50% female, 50% male.
Racial/ethnic composition: 51% Latino, 21% White, 13% other, 11% Mixed, 4% Black.
The majority (92%) were civilian youth; 8% military-connected.
Limitations
Data were cross-sectional; therefore, causality cannot be inferred.
All measures were self-report, and youth may have been reluctant to report actual substance use, physical, or non-physical aggression.
Analyses did not control for other variables likely to be associated with youth substance use and aggression, such as deployment, socioeconomic status, mental health functioning, or parent-child relationship quality.
Avenues for Future Research
Future research could examine the impact of parental deployment on children’s substance use and aggression.
Additional studies could evaluate the impact of programs and policies focused on supporting military-connected youth.
This study could be replicated in other states outside of California.
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Importance: Military families and military-connected youth exhibit significant strengths; however, a sizeable proportion of these families appear to be struggling in the face of war-related stressors. Understanding the consequences of war is critical as a public health concern and because additional resources may be needed to support military families. Objective: To determine whether rates of adverse outcomes are higher for military-connected adolescents during war compared with nonmilitary peers. Design, Setting, and Participants: This study is a secondary data analysis of a large, normative, and geographically comprehensive administrative data set (2013 California Healthy Kids Survey) to determine whether military-connected youth are at risk for adverse outcomes, including substance use, experiencing violence and harassment, and weapon carrying, during wartime. These outcomes are of particular concern because they affect socioemotional adjustment and academic success. Data were collected in March and April 2013 and participants included 54?679 military-connected and 634?034 nonmilitary-connected secondary school students from public civilian schools in every county and almost all school districts in California. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes included lifetime and recent use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription medications, and other drugs, as well as experiences of physical and nonphysical violence and harassment and weapon carrying during the last year. Results: Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that military-connected youth had greater odds of substance use, experience of physical violence and nonphysical harassment, and weapon carrying. For example, military-connected youth had 73% greater odds of recent other drug use (eg, cocaine and lysergic acid diethylamide; odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.66-1.80) and twice the odds of bringing a gun to school (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 2.10-2.30) compared with nonmilitary-connected peers. Their odds of being threatened with a weapon or being in a fight were also significantly higher than their civilian counterparts (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.80-1.95 and OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.62-1.71, respectively). Conclusions and Relevance: Most military-connected youth demonstrate resilience. However, results suggest that during wartime, military-connected youth are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Further, when compared with data from 2011, the rates of these negative outcomes appear to be increasing. These findings suggest a need to identify and intervene with military-connected adolescents and reflect a larger concern regarding the well-being of military families during wartime.
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