Stress and Substance Use Among Military Women and Men

Bray, Robert M.; Fairbank, John A.; Marsden, Mary Ellen

doi:10.1081/ada-100101858

Cited by 129 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…As reported previously (Bray, Fairbank, & Marsden, 1996), both military women and men reported high stress in their military work (about 40%). However, military women (29.3%) were more likely than men (21.5%) to describe their family or personal lives as stressful.…”

Section: Demographic Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 81%

Health Behaviors and Performance of Military Women

Bray¹

1998

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Section: Demographic Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 81%

Health Behaviors and Performance of Military Women

Bray¹

1998

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“…Some studies have found that women are more likely than men to begin drinking heavily or in problematic ways as an effect of social anxiety (Buckner & Turner, 2009), trauma (Olff, Langeland, Draijer, & Gersons, 2007) and sexual harassment (Gradus, Street, Kelly, & Stafford, 2008). Other studies have found that men have greater tendencies than women toward heavy and problematic drinking in response to stressful life events (Dawson, Grant, & Ruan, 2005), work stress (Bray, Fairbank, &Marsden, 1999) andunemployment (van Praag, Bracke, Christiaens, Levecque, &Pattyn, 2009), and as a method of tension relief (Grotmol et al, 2010). However, such gender differences are not consistently analyzed and, across the studies that do analyze gender differences, are not consistently reported.…”

Section: Ijadr International Journal Of Alcohol and Drug Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distress and drinking: Cross-cultural connections and contexts

Wilsnack¹,

Kristjanson²,

Wilsnack³

et al. 2013

IJADR

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Aims: Research on how distress is related to drinking has paid relatively little attention to gender and to cultural differences. This study examines how distress is associated with men's and women's drinking cross-culturally.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting/Participants: Surveys of 30,728 women and 24,204 men in 22 countries of the GENACIS project (Gender, Alcohol and Culture: An International Study) provided data on how women's and men's mental, interpersonal and work-situational distress are related to their drinking patterns. Measurements:Analyses examined correlations within surveys, and used hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to take into account economic development, abstinence rates and distress levels in the populations surveyed. Findings:We found few associations of drinking patterns with reported stressful work situations. Mental and interpersonal distress had more frequent but geographically scattered associations with men's and women's drinking, particularly with quantities consumed. HLM analyses confirmed cross-culturally that drinking tended to increase with psychological and interpersonal distress, but the societal-level variables had few effects.Conclusions: Distress measures in GENACIS surveys were positively though not powerfully associated with both women's and men's drinking cross-culturally, associations not attributable to societal-level characteristics. The findings indicate a need for better cross-cultural information about the processes by which distress may lead to heavier drinking.For over 50 years, hundreds of scholars have tried to learn how distress is connected to drinking. From all their efforts, one conclusion is certain: sometimes emotional and physical distress are associated with heavier drinking and increased risks of alcohol problems and alcohol disorders. However, after much time and effort, it is still not clear how or when or where or why distress and drinking are connected. Here we briefly review some of the more common findings from recent research, and then offer more information about where distress and drinking occur together and how gender may affect the connections.A basic hypothesis about stress and alcohol is that for people who drink, the effects of alcohol seem to help them deal with unpleasant feelings resulting from stressful experiences. Evidence consistent with this hypothesis has been found in a wide variety of circumstances, in those who suffer from social anxiety disorder or symptoms (Carrigan IJADR

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“…There is limited evidence suggesting that social support may be more psychologically beneficial for military women. 34,36,37 One study 38 also found that some types of substance use were linked to different stressors in men and women, which may be representative of coping with substances. In the study by Langhinrichsen-Rohling et al, 3 there were also some sex differences regarding which correlates were associated with suicidal ideation in the adjusted model.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Protective Factors for Mental Disorders and Psychological Distress in Female, Compared with Male, Service Members in a Representative Sample

et al. 2013

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Objective: Although military interest in promoting psychological resilience is growing, resources protective against psychopathology have been understudied in female service members. Using a representative sample of Canadian Forces personnel, we investigated whether religious attendance, spirituality, coping, and social support were related to mental disorders and psychological distress in female service members, and whether sex differences occurred in these associations.Method: Religious attendance and spirituality were self-reported. Coping items were taken from 3 scales and produced 3 factors (active, avoidance, and self-medication). Social support was assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Past-year mental disorders were diagnosed with the World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale assessed distress. Multivariate regression models investigated links between correlates and psychological outcomes within each sex. For associations that were statistically significant in only one sex, sex by correlate interactions were computed. Results:In female service members, inverse relations were found between social support and MDD, any MDD or anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, and distress. No associations were found between religious attendance and outcomes, and spirituality was associated with an increased likelihood of some outcomes. Active coping was related to less psychological distress, while avoidance coping and self-medication were linked to a higher likelihood of most outcomes. Although several statistically significant associations were found in only one sex, only one sex by correlate interaction was statistically significant. Conclusions:Social support was found to be inversely related to several negative mental health outcomes in female service members. Few differences between men and women reached statistical significance. Future research should identify additional helpful resources for female service members. W W W Facteurs de protection contre les troubles mentaux et la détresse psychologique chez les membres féminins, comparés aux membres masculins des forces armées dans un échantillon représentatifObjectif : Quoique l'intérêt militaire pour la promotion de la résilience psychologique va en grandissant, les ressources protectrices contre la psychopathologie ont été sous-étudiées chez les membres féminins des forces armées. À l'aide d'un échantillon représentatif du personnel des Forces canadiennes, nous avons recherché si la pratique religieuse, la spiritualité, l'adaptation, et le soutien social étaient liés aux troubles mentaux et à la détresse psychologique chez le personnel féminin des Forces, et si des différences selon le sexe survenaient dans ces associations.

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Stress and Substance Use Among Military Women and Men

Cited by 129 publications

References 21 publications

Health Behaviors and Performance of Military Women

Health Behaviors and Performance of Military Women

Distress and drinking: Cross-cultural connections and contexts

Protective Factors for Mental Disorders and Psychological Distress in Female, Compared with Male, Service Members in a Representative Sample

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