Suchergebnisse

Based on worldwide surveys of substance abuse and health behavior among active-duty military personnel in 1980, 1982, 1985, and 1988.

This paper examines trends in alcohol use, illicit drug use, and cigarette use in the U.S. military. Data are drawn from five worldwide surveys (conducted in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1988, and 1992) of active-duty personnel. All surveys used similar methods and common measures of alcohol, illicit drug, and cigarette use. Findings indicate steady and notable reductions in overall alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and cigarette use. They show less decrease in heavy alcohol use, however, and the apparent decline from 1980 to 1992 is largely a function of demographic changes in the military. In 1992, during the 30 days before the survey, about 1 in 3 personnel smoked, about 1 in 7 were heavy drinkers, and about 3 in 100 used illicit drugs; rates were higher among certain demographic subgroups. Further reductions in smoking and heavy drinking remain the major substance use challenges for the U.S. military in the 1990s.

Objectives. We examined stress levels and other indicators of mental health in reservists and active-duty military personnel by deployment status.

Since 1970, the Department of Defense has set forth a series of policies and programs to combat drug and alcohol abuse among military personnel. The goal of the current policy is one of zero tolerance toward drug and alcohol abuse. Programmatic areas to help attain this goal are assessment, deterrence and detection, treatment and rehabilitation, and education and training. Progress toward eliminating drug and alcohol abuse among military personnel is traced by examining efforts in each of these programmatic areas. The authors conclude that the dramatic decreases in drug use and more stable patterns of alcohol use since 1980 indicate that military policy and programs to eliminate drug abuse have been highly successful, but that military efforts to eliminate alcohol abuse should be intensified.

An examination of the policies & programs the Dept of Defense has set forth since 1970 to combat drug & alcohol abuse among military personnel. The current policy is one of zero tolerance. Programmatic areas to help attain this goal are assessment, deterrence & detection, treatment & rehabilitation, & education & training. Progress toward eliminating abuse is traced by examining efforts in each of these programmatic areas. It is concluded that the dramatic decreases in drug use & more stable patterns of alcohol use since 1980 indicate that military policy & programs to eliminate drug abuse have been highly successful; however, efforts to eliminate alcohol abuse should be intensified. 3 Tables, 3 Figures. Adapted from the source document.

Previous research has shown that 8% to 10% of nonsmokers initiated smoking during their first year of military service despite a period of forced abstinence during boot camp. To our knowledge, no studies have looked at the influence of peers and role models on the initiation of smoking among U.S. Air Force personnel who recently completed boot camp. This cross-sectional study examined the role of perceived peer norms, roommate influence, role model influence, perceived norms of all active duty personnel, and depressive symptoms in the initiation and reinitiation of smoking among 2,962 Air Force technical training students. Previous nonsmokers were more likely to initiate smoking if they perceived that the majority of their classmates smoked (OR 1.67, 95% CI [1.05 to 2.67]) and if they reported that their military training leader or classroom instructor used tobacco products (OR 1.69, 95% CI [1.12 to 2.56]). Additionally, previous nonsmokers were more likely to initiate smoking if their roommate smoked (OR 1.67, 95% CI [1.09 to 2.56]). Similar results were seen with previous smokers who perceived that the majority of their classmates smoked (OR 1.63, 95% CI [1.03 to 2.58]) and if they reported that their military training leader or classroom instructor used tobacco products (OR 1.95, 95% CI [1.29 to 2.94]). Our study suggests that military role models who use tobacco, peer smoking behavior, and perceived smoking norms increase the likelihood of smoking initiation among newly enlisted military personnel who have recently undergone a period of forced abstinence.

This study examined the relationships between domains of stress (work-related, familyrelated, finances-related, health-related), coping style, substance use, and symptoms of depression with level of job functioning among women and men in the U.S. armed forces. Multivariate cumulative logistic regression analyses were conducted with data from the 1995 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors among Military Personnel. Results showed that both military men and women were nearly twice as likely to report higher levels of stress at work (39%) than in their family or personal lives (22%). In contrast, women (29%) were more likely than men (22%) to experience high levels of family stress. Additionally, 33% of women experienced high stress due to being a woman in the military. The effects of stress and depression on job functioning were quite similar for women and men. For both genders, higher levels of work-related stress, health-related stress, and number of depressive symptoms increased the odds of a lower level of job functioning. In addition, for men only, higher levels of family-related stress, use of a negative coping style, illicit drug use, and being a heavy drinker increased the likelihood of lower job functioning. Findings suggest that it may be useful for military health providers to focus on interventions to identify, prevent, and provide care for stress-related problems and depressive symptoms for military personnel.