Drinking Motives and Alcohol Use: The SERVe Study of U.S. Current and Former Service Members

Details

• Personal Author:
  Carlson KF ; Hammer LB ; Haverly SN ; McCabe CT ; Mohr CD
• Description:
  Objective: Hazardous drinking in the armed forces is a significant problem. Alcohol use motivations, known risk factors for problem drinking, have been underexplored in this population. Our study extends knowledge about drinking motives among current and former U.S. service members and provides recommendations on their utility in identifying alcohol-related problems by examining the factor structure of multidimensional drinking motives and their association to alcohol use. Method: Post-9/11 separated service members and current reservists were recruited from 35 Oregon employers to participate in a workplace study of supervisor support. The resulting sample (N = 509; 84% male; mean age = 39) completed a baseline assessment, which included a comprehensive drinking motives assessment. Results: Drinkers comprised 88% of the sample, with a mean Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 5.4 (SD = 4.6); 23.9% scored 8 or more. The four-factor structure of the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised, short form (DMQ-R-SF) was affirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. Internal drinking motives related to enhancement (positive) and coping (negative) were most predictive of alcohol use; coping motives were uniquely predictive of alcohol-related problems, when drinking quantity/frequency, as well as psychological distress, were controlled for. Coping motives also mediate the relationship between psychological distress and AUDIT scores. Results thus demonstrated the generalizability of the DMQ-R-SF motives measure for use with separated service members and reservists. Conclusions: Drinking motives, assessed by the DMQ-R-SF, represent reliable and important predictors of drinking and associated problems among service members. Inclusion of motivated drinking questions may enhance screening for alcohol-related problems among current and former service members. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Alcoholic Beverages Behavior Epidemiology Hazardous Substances Men Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Women Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Adaptation Alcoholic Beverages Alcoholism Coping Behavior Health Hazards Health Surveys Humans Military Personnel Psychological Adaptation Psychological Responses Psychological Stress Questionnaires Recommendations Risk Assessment Risk Factors Worker Health Worker Motivation Workplace Studies

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• ISSN:
  1937-1888
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Oregon ; OSHA Region 10
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  79-87
• Volume:
  79
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051639
• Citation:
  J Stud Alcohol Drugs 2018 Jan; 79(1):79-87
• Contact Point Address:
  Cynthia D. Mohr, Department of Psychology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207
• Email:
  cdmohr@pdx.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  Portland State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d2c083431561ed6ae1e2d8c88ea5cc33297c040200fbcad316fd7a6afd5fa9a8c07f83db16cd5f297192400a06f364705b3f5c1f9791ebe33553336550135ff1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211496/cdc_211496_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 359.18 KB ]