Nicholas A Livingston1, Tracy Simpson2, Keren Lehavot3, Victoria Ameral4, Deborah J Brief5, Justin Enggasser5, Scott Litwack5, Eric Helmuth6, Monica Roy5, David Rosenbloom7, Terence M Keane8. 1. National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, USA. Electronic address: nicholas.livingston@va.gov. 2. Center of Excellence in Substance Addiction, Treatment, and Education (CESATE), VA Puget Sound Healthcare System, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. 3. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle-Denver HSR&D Center of Innovation (COIN), Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. 4. Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA, USA. 5. U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, USA. 6. Education Development Center, Waltham, MA, USA. 7. Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. 8. National Center for PTSD, Behavioral Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Proportionally more women use online alcohol interventions but also report less robust treatment outcomes compared to men. Less is known about outcome disparities among veteran women, who are a growing demographic nationally. The current study examined gender differences among returning veteran men and women who used VetChange, a web-based intervention for hazardous drinking and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). METHOD: Using data from a nationwide implementation study of returning combat veterans (n = 222), we performed hierarchical linear modeling to examine gender differences in alcohol and PTSS outcomes over six months following VetChange registration. Additional analyses examined gender differences in proportional changes in hazardous drinking and at each assessment point. RESULTS: Returning veterans reported significant decreases in alcohol use and PTSS over time, yet men evidenced significantly greater reduction in average weekly drinks and drinks per drinking day compared to women. Follow up analyses indicated that women were significantly less likely than men to achieve low-risk drinking by one month post-registration. Proportional change in alcohol use yielded marginal and non-significant trends that were, nonetheless, consistent with the overall pattern of gender differences. CONCLUSION: These results contribute to emerging literature suggesting that women use online alcohol use interventions at proportionately higher rates than do men, but do not reduce their drinking as much as men. There are a number of potential content changes that could improve outcomes for returning veteran women using online interventions, and data-driven adaptations based on stakeholder input are recommended. Published by Elsevier B.V.
OBJECTIVE: Proportionally more women use online alcohol interventions but also report less robust treatment outcomes compared to men. Less is known about outcome disparities among veteran women, who are a growing demographic nationally. The current study examined gender differences among returning veteran men and women who used VetChange, a web-based intervention for hazardous drinking and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). METHOD: Using data from a nationwide implementation study of returning combat veterans (n = 222), we performed hierarchical linear modeling to examine gender differences in alcohol and PTSS outcomes over six months following VetChange registration. Additional analyses examined gender differences in proportional changes in hazardous drinking and at each assessment point. RESULTS: Returning veterans reported significant decreases in alcohol use and PTSS over time, yet men evidenced significantly greater reduction in average weekly drinks and drinks per drinking day compared to women. Follow up analyses indicated that women were significantly less likely than men to achieve low-risk drinking by one month post-registration. Proportional change in alcohol use yielded marginal and non-significant trends that were, nonetheless, consistent with the overall pattern of gender differences. CONCLUSION: These results contribute to emerging literature suggesting that women use online alcohol use interventions at proportionately higher rates than do men, but do not reduce their drinking as much as men. There are a number of potential content changes that could improve outcomes for returning veteran women using online interventions, and data-driven adaptations based on stakeholder input are recommended. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Entities:
Keywords:
Alcohol; Gender differences; Online intervention; Veteran; Web intervention; Women