title: Age moderates the association of depressive symptoms and unhealthy alcohol use in the National Guard.
abstract: Unhealthy drinking is a significant problem contributing to poor health and performance of military personnel. The Iowa Army National Guard and the Iowa Department of Public Health have collaborated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration to better identify unhealthy substance use via Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment program (SBIRT). Yet, little research has been conducted on the Guard's use of SBIRT. This study examined depression, age, deployment status, and sex as factors contributing to unhealthy drinking. Of the Guardsmen who took part in SBIRT, 3.7% (n=75) met the criteria for unhealthy drinking and 3.9% (n=78) had some level of depression. The overall multivariate model significantly predicted unhealthy drinking (χ(2)(5)=41.41, p<0.001) with age moderating the association of depressive symptoms and unhealthy alcohol (Wald χ(2)(1)=7.16, p=0.007). These findings add to the existing understanding of factors contributing to unhealthy drinking suggesting the association between the presence of depression and unhealthy drinking depends on age of the Guradsman. This age and depression interaction may be an important diagnostic feature to consider for unhealthy drinking in the Guard. Furthermore, previous research on the general military population finds similar percentages, providing support for SBIRT as an effective screening tool in the Guard.
authors.affiliation: Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation, 100 MTP4, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245-5000, USA; Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, Counseling Psychology Program, College of Education, University of Iowa, 361 Lindquist Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sahker
authors.affiliation: Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation, 100 MTP4, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245-5000, USA; Instituto de Cálculo, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires - CONICET, Int. Güiraldes 2160, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Acion
authors.affiliation: Iowa Consortium for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation, 100 MTP4, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52245-5000, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, 451 Newton Road 200 Medicine Administration Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, 145 N. Riverside Drive 100 CPHB, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. Electronic address: stephan-arndt@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arndt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Guardsmen; Mood disorders; SBIRT; Unhealthy drinking