Citation

Klanecky AK, Cadigan JM, Martens MP, Rogers RE. Mil. Psychol. 2014; 26(5-6): 366-375.

Affiliation

Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital, 800 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO, 65201, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1037/mil0000048

PMID

25530669

Abstract

Veterans from the conflicts in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom; OEF) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom; OIF) have reported elevated rates of alcohol consumption, and greater depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are associated with increased alcohol use. Presence of a spouse/partner, which has been associated with reduced drinking, may buffer the relationship between mental health symptoms and alcohol consumption. To examine this hypothesis, the current study utilized baseline survey data from OEF/OIF veterans (N=325) enrolled in a brief alcohol intervention. Spouse/partner presence moderated the relationship between depression symptoms and alcohol consumption such that depression was positively associated with drinking for veterans without a spouse/partner. Exploratory analyses indicated that the relationship between depression and alcohol use may be particularly salient for veterans without a spouse/partner and a lower number of deployments. Spouse/partner presence did not moderate the relationship between PTSD symptoms and alcohol consumption. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Language: en