The Stress of Combat: The Impact of Combat Operations on Substance Use

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

In 2021, there were over 16 million veterans living in the U.S., which equates to approximately 6.4% of the entire U.S. population. Military service is a life event that has the ability to shape veteran’s criminal trajectories. Unfortunately, military service is often associated with problematic adjustments after deployments, including substance use. The current study uses data from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (STARRS) to investigate the relationship between measures of deployment stressors and substance use. Specifically, the current study focuses on assessing soldiers’ psychological health surrounding events encountered during combat operations on the use of different substances across all phases of Army service. Regression techniques are used to analyze the effect of combat stressors on substance use for servicemembers. Policy implications are also discussed.

Authors

• Elizabeth Gloyd, Stephen F. Austin State University

• Allison Kondrat, Sam Houston State University

• Wanda Leal, Sam Houston State University