Abstract

Background

In 1980, the U.S. military instituted a zero-tolerance policy for illicit substance use that led to a reduction in such use during military services. Long-term post-military effects have not been studied.

Methods

National survey data from 2012-2013 were used to compared veteran versus non-veteran differences in sociodemographic, behavioral and substance use and psychiatric diagnoses among women by cohort (i.e., those younger than 52 who would have entered the military under the no tolerance policy, and those older than 52 who would have entered before this policy was implemented). Multivariate interaction analyses between cohorts and veteran status were used to identify significant changes in veteran-non-veteran differences between these age cohorts on during the decades following the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy.

Results

Significant interactions primarily involved substance use diagnoses which were less frequent among veterans than non-veterans in the younger group of women, in contrast to the older group in which veterans had greater rates of substance use than non-veterans. These patterns were less robust for alcohol than substance use disorders and were not significant for psychiatric disorders.

Conclusion

The zero-tolerance policy appears to have had a long-term effect resulting in less substance use disorder and, to some extent, less alcohol use disorder among veterans as compared to non-veterans who served in the military after the zero-tolerance policy was implemented.

中文翻译：

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美国武装部队零容忍毒品政策对女性退伍军人的长期影响

摘要

背景

1980 年，美国军方制定了对非法物质使用的零容忍政策，导致在服兵役期间此类使用减少。长期的军事后影响尚未研究。

方法

2012 年至 2013 年的全国调查数据用于比较退伍军人与非退伍军人在社会人口学、行为和物质使用以及按队列划分的女性（即在不容忍政策下本应参军的 52 岁以下的人）的精神病诊断方面的差异，以及在本政策实施前会进入的 52 岁以上的人）。队列和退伍军人身份之间的多变量交互分析用于确定在实施零容忍政策后的几十年中这些年龄队列之间退伍军人与非退伍军人差异的显着变化。

结果

重要的相互作用主要涉及物质使用诊断，在年轻女性群体中，退伍军人的使用频率低于非退伍军人，而在老年女性群体中，退伍军人的药物使用率高于非退伍军人。这些模式对酒精的影响不如物质使用障碍，对精神疾病的影响也不显着。

结论

与零容忍政策后在军队服役的非退伍军人相比，零容忍政策似乎产生了长期影响，从而减少了退伍军人的物质使用障碍，并在一定程度上减少了退伍军人的酒精使用障碍。实施的。