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Abstract
Introduction
Mental health symptoms and substance use increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and women may be disproportionately impacted. Women report substantial mental health consequences, and women veterans may experience additional risks associated with military service. However, rates and correlates of substance use and consequences among women veterans are largely unknown. This study aims to 1) report rates of substance use and consequences among women veterans; 2) identify correlates of substance use and consequences; and 3) test COVID-specific anxiety as a moderator.
Method
Women veterans (n = 209) enrolled in Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) primary care completed measures of demographics, psychiatric and substance use disorder (SUD) diagnoses, current mental health symptoms, alcohol consumption, drug-related problems, and COVID-specific anxiety. Bivariate correlations evaluated demographics (age, race, employment, relationship status), psychiatric (depression/anxiety/PTSD) and SUD diagnoses, and current mental health (depression/anxiety) symptoms as correlates of substance use outcomes. For any relationships between correlates and outcomes that were statistically significant, COVID-specific anxiety was tested as a moderator using the PROCESS macro in SPSS version 27. Any statistically significant moderation effects were further investigated using the PROCESS macro to estimate conditional effects. COVID-specific anxiety was mean-centered prior to analyses. Alpha was set to .05 for all statistical tests.
Results
36% screened positive for hazardous (AUDIT-C ≥ 3) alcohol consumption and 26% reported drug-related problems (18% low-level, 7% moderate-level, and 2% substantial per DAST-10 scores). Drug-related problems were positively associated with: COVID-specific anxiety, psychiatric diagnosis, SUD diagnosis, and depression symptoms. Alcohol consumption was significantly associated with SUD diagnosis. COVID-specific anxiety significantly moderated relationships between SUD diagnosis and both outcomes.
Discussion
Results help identify women veterans with SUD diagnoses and high COVID-specific anxiety as at risk for increased substance use during COVID-19 and suggest a potential intervention target (COVID-specific anxiety).
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 24,
2023
Received in revised form:
February 3,
2023
Received:
May 20,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Accepted ManuscriptFootnotes
Author biographies will be supplied if manuscript is accepted for publication, per instructions for authors on the Women’s Health Issues website.
Identification
Copyright
Published by Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, George Washington University.
