Military Service and Subsequent Substance Use: A Propensity Score Approach

• In Event: Exploring Substance Use with the Rochester Youth Development Study: Session II

Abstract

The use of alcohol and drugs among military veterans is highly prevalent. The reasons for this are attributable to many theories, including both cultural transmission and self-medication. However, the degree to which military service plays an actual causal role in the promotion of substance use is often taken for granted, ignoring the possibility that military service may simply facilitate persisting differences in those likely to enlist. This study uses propensity score matching to compare veterans to non-veterans from the Rochester Youth Development Study in order to examine the extent to which selection effects may influence the military service/substance use relationship.

Authors

• John Eassey, Missouri State University

• Julie Marie Baldwin, Missouri State University

• Alan J. Lizotte, SUNY Albany