Jonathan Moisson1,2, Marc N Potenza1,3,4, Steven D Shirk5,6, Rani A Hoff1,7, Crystal L Park8, Shane W Kraus5,9. 1. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. 2. Faculté de médecine Xavier Bichat, Université de Paris, Paris, France. 3. Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, Connecticut. 4. Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, Connecticut. 5. VISN 1 New England MIRECC, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, Massachusetts. 6. Deparment of Psychiatry and Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts School of Medicine, Worcester, Massachusetts. 7. Northeast Program Evaluation Center, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, Connecticut. 8. Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut. 9. Department of Psychology, Univeristy of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little research has examined the clinical characteristics of U.S. post-9/11 military veterans coping with alcohol problems. Specifically, we examined psychopathology and hypersexuality among male and female post-9/11 veterans with and without a lifetime history of alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). METHODS: Using data from a baseline telephone interview and follow-up web-based survey, we examined frequencies of AUDs, mental health and addictive disorders, sexual behaviors, hypersexuality, and problematic use of pornography in a national convenience sample of 283 U.S. veterans. RESULTS: Many (39.1%) veterans met lifetime criteria for AUDs. Bivariate associations revealed that veterans with lifetime AUDs met clinically significant levels of posttraumatic stress disorder and criteria for drug-use disorders (lifetime). Veterans with lifetime AUDs also attended religious services less often, engaged in more solitary masturbation in the past month, and reported more issues with problematic use of pornography and hypersexuality compared with veterans without AUDs. Results from a logistic regression found that lifetime drug-use disorders (odds ratio [OR] = 4.22) and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (OR = 1.98) were significant predictors of veterans with lifetime AUD status. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We found differences among veterans with lifetime AUDs compared with those without on select measures of psychopathology, sexual behavior, and hypersexuality. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Further screening for substance-use disorders and hypersexuality in Veterans Affairs is strongly encouraged while veterans are transitioning back into civilian life. (Am J Addict 2019;28:398-404).
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Little research has examined the clinical characteristics of U.S. post-9/11 military veterans coping with alcohol problems. Specifically, we examined psychopathology and hypersexuality among male and female post-9/11 veterans with and without a lifetime history of alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). METHODS: Using data from a baseline telephone interview and follow-up web-based survey, we examined frequencies of AUDs, mental health and addictive disorders, sexual behaviors, hypersexuality, and problematic use of pornography in a national convenience sample of 283 U.S. veterans. RESULTS: Many (39.1%) veterans met lifetime criteria for AUDs. Bivariate associations revealed that veterans with lifetime AUDs met clinically significant levels of posttraumatic stress disorder and criteria for drug-use disorders (lifetime). Veterans with lifetime AUDs also attended religious services less often, engaged in more solitary masturbation in the past month, and reported more issues with problematic use of pornography and hypersexuality compared with veterans without AUDs. Results from a logistic regression found that lifetime drug-use disorders (odds ratio [OR] = 4.22) and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (OR = 1.98) were significant predictors of veterans with lifetime AUD status. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: We found differences among veterans with lifetime AUDs compared with those without on select measures of psychopathology, sexual behavior, and hypersexuality. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: Further screening for substance-use disorders and hypersexuality in Veterans Affairs is strongly encouraged while veterans are transitioning back into civilian life. (Am J Addict 2019;28:398-404).
Authors: Shane W Kraus; Mateusz Gola; Joshua B Grubbs; Ewelina Kowalewska; Rani A Hoff; Michał Lew-Starowicz; Steve Martino; Steven D Shirk; Marc N Potenza Journal: J Behav Addict Date: 2020-07-07 Impact factor: 6.756