The effects of loneliness and psychological flexibility on veterans’ substance use and physical and mental health functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Kelly, Megan M.; DeBeer, Bryann B.; Chamberlin, Elizabeth S.; Claudio, Tracy; Duarte, Brooke A.; Harris, J. Irene; Kennedy, Meaghan A.; Shirk, Steven D.; Reilly, Erin D.

doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2022.10.004

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…The prevalence of probable alcohol use during the pandemic ranged from 9.6% to 47.4%, and the veterans infected with COVID-19 had a remarkably higher rate of alcohol use than those uninfected( Hendrikx et al, 2022 ; Kelly et al, 2022 ; Murphy et al, 2022a ; Murphy et al, 2022b ; Na et al, 2022a ; Na et al, 2021a ; Na et al, 2022b ; Richardson et al, 2022 ; Sharp et al, 2021 ). Nonetheless, the impact of COVID-19 on alcohol use in veterans was inconsistent across studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rate of anxiety among veterans was between 9.4% and 53.5% during the pandemic( Hill et al, 2021 ; Kelly et al, 2022 ; Mahar et al, 2022 ; Na et al, 2022a ; Richardson et al, 2022 ; Tran et al, 2022 ; Umucu et al, 2022 ). Three studies demonstrated that veterans had a higher rate of anxiety during the global outbreak compared to the pre-pandemic( Hill et al, 2021 ; Na et al, 2022a ; Wynn et al, 2021 ), while Katherine et al found no difference in anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic( Iverson et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The included studies were conducted in five different countries including the USA (n=16), the UK (n=4), Canada (n=2), and Croatia (n=1). In the USA, the prevalence of PTSD increased from 4.1% to 34.2% during the pandemic( Chen et al, 2022 ; Hill et al, 2021 ; Kelly et al, 2022 ; Wynn et al, 2021 ), while more than half of veterans suffered from PTSD in the UK( Hendrikx et al, 2022 ; Murphy et al, 2022a ; Murphy et al, 2022b ). There was no change of PTSD symptoms during the global outbreak in the above studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, another study conducted in Croatia demonstrated that the severity of the overall PTSD symptoms significantly decreased during the pandemic( Letica-Crepulja et al, 2021 ). The rate of alcohol use differed between countries, ranging from 9.6% to 27.6% in the USA, and 13.0% in Canada( Kelly et al, 2022 ; Na et al, 2022a ; Na et al, 2021a ; Richardson et al, 2022 ; Wynn et al, 2021 ). Nonetheless, the rate of alcohol use in the UK ranged from 27.6% to 47.4%( Hendrikx et al, 2022 ; Murphy et al, 2022a ; Murphy et al, 2022b ; Sharp et al, 2021 ), which was much higher than in the USA and Canada.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nonetheless, the rate of alcohol use in the UK ranged from 27.6% to 47.4%( Hendrikx et al, 2022 ; Murphy et al, 2022a ; Murphy et al, 2022b ; Sharp et al, 2021 ), which was much higher than in the USA and Canada. In addition, the prevalence of depression in the USA was 8.6%-55.1%( Chen et al, 2022 ; Fitzke et al, 2021 ; Hill et al, 2021 ; Kelly et al, 2022 ; Na et al, 2022a ; Umucu et al, 2022 ), while it ranged from 22.7% to 35.3% in Canada( Mahar et al, 2022 ; Richardson et al, 2022 ). Moreover, almost a quarter of the veterans reported loneliness in Canada( Mahar et al, 2022 ), which was larger than in the USA (15.9%)( Na et al, 2022b ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Psychological consequences among veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

Huang

et al. 2023

Psychiatry Research

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Psychological consequences among veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

Huang

et al. 2023

Psychiatry Research

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The impact of stress and well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health in U.S. veterans

Serier,

Zhao,

Vogt

et al. 2023

Stress and Health

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The COVID‐19 pandemic disrupted life around the globe and negatively impacted mental health (MH), including among military veterans. Building on previous research with U.S. veterans, the present study examined the association between a broad array of pandemic stressors and well‐being on MH outcomes. A total of 372 veterans (51.3% women) from all service eras completed measures of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression during early (timepoint 1 [T1]) and peri‐pandemic (timepoint 2 [T2]) periods. Pandemic‐related stressors and well‐being (satisfaction in life domains) were assessed at the peri‐pandemic timepoint (T2). Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations between stressors and well‐being with the likelihood of a probable MH diagnosis at T2 controlling for T1 MH status. More negative physical and MH impacts of the pandemic in addition to fewer positive consequences and lower satisfaction with paid work, finances, health, romantic relationships, and social life were associated with a higher likelihood of a probable T2 MH diagnosis. COVID infection was associated with lower odds of a probable T2 MH diagnosis. There were significant indirect effects, such that physical and MH impacts of the pandemic were associated with T2 MH via well‐being. Overall, these findings highlight the role of stress and well‐being on MH during a global pandemic. Interventions to address well‐being may be important to address veteran MH during other periods of stress. Future research should examine the generalizability of study findings and further investigate factors that contribute to veterans' MH resilience during stressful life experiences.

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Quality of Life and Loneliness Among American Military Veterans

Schafer,

Campione,

Joiner

2024

J Nerv Ment Dis

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Quality of life and loneliness are closely associated with mental and physical health outcomes. This relationship is particularly important in Veterans who experience elevated rates of disabilities, comorbidities, and chronic health conditions as compared with non-Veterans. In the present project, we use data from the Military Health and Well-Being Project (n = 1469, 67.2% men, 32.3% women, 0.5% transgender, nonbinary, prefer not to say) to investigate the link between five domains of quality of life (i.e., general quality of life, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment) with loneliness in American Military Veterans. Findings indicated that every domain of quality of life was negatively and significantly associated with loneliness (r's < −0.45, p's < 0.001), such that quality of life decreased as loneliness increased. We further found, using linear regression, that quality social relationships (β = −0.385, t = −13.23), psychological functioning (β = −0.196, t = −5.28), and physical health (β = −0.133, t = −4.174) were related to low levels of loneliness. Taken together, these findings indicate that in this sample of Veterans 1) general quality of life, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment are all strongly connected with loneliness, and 2) of these, social relationships, psychological health, and physical health seem to protect most against loneliness, with large robust effect sizes. We recommend that intervention and policy researchers continue to investigate and develop feasible, acceptable, and cost-effective ways to promote social relationships, psychological health, and physical health among Veterans. Data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may limit generalizability of these findings.

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The effects of loneliness and psychological flexibility on veterans’ substance use and physical and mental health functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 44 publications

Psychological consequences among veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

Psychological consequences among veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review

The impact of stress and well‐being during the COVID‐19 pandemic on mental health in U.S. veterans

Quality of Life and Loneliness Among American Military Veterans

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