Author(s): Samantha Brooks, Justin Conrad, Kelsey Shields
Mentor(s): Bryan Koenig, Kirstin Graham, Daniel Hatch
Institution SUU
Substance use has been widely reported as being an issue in Veteran populations (Lan et al. 2015, Teeters et al. 2017, Wagner et al. 2007). The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) reports that about 800,000 of their patients seen report use of illicit drugs or have been diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder (SUD), or Alcohol Use Disorder(AUD) (Wagner et al. 2007). Drinking and smoking cigarettes seem to be the most prevalent issue of veterans (Teeters et al. 2017, Wagner et al. 2007). Additionally, studies have reported that about 30% of veteran suicide is caused by or influenced by SUD (Teeters et al. 2017). Because of these high numbers of usage, it has become an area of interest in research to understand the treads that are shown with veterans and substance use. This research has shown to be beneficial in creating programs to help veterans, and recent reports show AUD reporting levels going down because of targeted interventions (Lan et al. 2015). Yet, despite this success, many studies which include veteran data often collect information on older veterans (Wagner et al. 2007) which leaves a large gap when it comes to veterans who are college age. This highlights a need to understand how college age veterans are affected by substance use. In the current study, students who participated in this survey were asked about their veteran status. Veteran and non-veteran students were then compared on substance use levels. Substance use was self-reported by Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription medication, and other Substance use Scale (TAPS) (McNeely et al. 2016). This scale asks about usage with a variety of different Substances. Analyses are currently being conducted.