Substance use and psychological distress before and after the military to civilian transition

  • Derefinko, K. J., Troy, A. H., Isaacs, M. B., Salgado Garcia, F. I., Colvin, L. W., Zoran, B. ,… Klesges, R. C. (2018). Substance use and psychological distress before and after the military to civilian transition. Military Medicine, 183, (5-6), e258–e265. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usx082
  • The current study investigated substance use and psychological distress in veterans of the United States military who served a minimum of 12 months on active duty. Veterans (N = 80) located across different states in the U.S. were recruited through word of mouth, starting with five veterans (i.e., snowball recruitment). Each participant anonymously provided answers via an online survey which consisted of questions regarding substance use, emotional distress, and perceptions of other veterans. Findings suggest that there was an increase in marijuana and hard drug use from active duty to post-separation. Additionally, emotional distress did not change significantly over time with the exception of feelings of isolation.

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Research summaries convey terminology used by the scientists who authored the original research article; some terminology may not align with the federal government's mandated language for certain constructs.

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