title: National prevalence and correlates of alcohol misuse in women veterans.
abstract: Our goal was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of alcohol misuse in women veterans and to assess the associations between alcohol misuse and mental health (MH) care utilization in a group comprising both Veterans Health Administration (VA) healthcare system users and non-users. We assessed alcohol misuse using survey-based AUDIT-C scores. The prevalence of alcohol misuse was 27% in VA users and 32% in non-users. Prevalence rates were higher for VA users who were younger, served in OEF/OIF, or had combat exposure and for VA non-users who screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder or sexual assault in the military. In contrast to VA users, VA non-users with alcohol misuse had a low prevalence of past-year MH care despite having indications of MH care need. Our results on alcohol misuse prevalence, its correlates, and its association with MH care may aid program planning and resource allocation in VA and non-VA settings.
authors: VA Greater Los Angeles Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP), Sepulveda, CA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: khoggatt@ucla.edu.
authors: Katherine J
authors: KJ
authors: Hoggatt
authors: Denver-Seattle Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care, HSR&D, VA Puget Sound, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Health Services, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors: Emily C
authors: EC
authors: Williams
authors: Veterans Emergency Management Evaluation Center (VEMEC), North Hills, CA, USA.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Der-Martirosian
authors: VA Greater Los Angeles Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP), Sepulveda, CA, USA; Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Elizabeth M
authors: EM
authors: Yano
authors: VA Greater Los Angeles Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy (CSHIIP), Sepulveda, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Donna L
authors: DL
authors: Washington
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D058014:Veterans Health; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Alcohol misuse; Health services; Mental health care; Women veterans