TY - JOUR
T1 - Hazardous drinking and its association with homelessness among veterans in care
AU - Ghose, T.
AU - Fiellin, D. A.
AU - Gordon, A. J.
AU - Metraux, S.
AU - Goetz, M. B.
AU - Blackstock, O.
AU - McInnes, K.
AU - Rodriguez-Barradas, M. C.
AU - Justice, A. C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was financially supported by National Institutes of Health : NIAAA ( U10-AA13566 ), NHLBI ( R01-HL095136 ; R01-HL090342 ; RCI-HL100347 ), and NIA ( R01-AG029154 ; K23 AG024896 ). The funding helped support the implementation of the study, i.e., the implementation of the study design, the data collection process and preparation of the data for analysis. The funders played no role in the analysis of the data, the preparation of the manuscript or decisions regarding where to submit it.
PY - 2013/9/1
Y1 - 2013/9/1
N2 - Background: While scholarship on alcohol use and homelessness has focused on the impact of alcohol abuse and dependence, little is known about the effects of lower levels of misuse such as hazardous use. Veterans receiving care in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VA) constitute a population that is vulnerable to alcohol misuse and homelessness. This research examines the effects of hazardous drinking on homelessness in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, a sample of 2898 older veterans (mean age = 50.2), receiving care in 8 VAs across the country. Methods: Logistic regression models examined the associations between (1) hazardous drinking at baseline and homelessness at 1-year follow-up, (2) transitions into and out of hazardous drinking from baseline to follow-up and homelessness at follow-up, and (3) transitioning to hazardous drinking and transitioning to homelessness from baseline to follow-up during that same time-period. Results: After controlling for other correlates including alcohol dependence, hazardous drinking at baseline increased the risk of homelessness at follow-up (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02, 1.88). Transitioning to hazardous drinking more than doubled the risk of homelessness at follow-up (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.41, 4.15), while more than doubling the risk of transitioning from being housed at baseline to being homeless at follow-up (AOR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.30, 4.79). Conclusions: Early intervention that seeks to prevent transitioning into hazardous drinking could increase housing stability among veterans. Brief interventions which have been shown to be effective at lower levels of alcohol use should be implemented with veterans in VA care.
AB - Background: While scholarship on alcohol use and homelessness has focused on the impact of alcohol abuse and dependence, little is known about the effects of lower levels of misuse such as hazardous use. Veterans receiving care in the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System (VA) constitute a population that is vulnerable to alcohol misuse and homelessness. This research examines the effects of hazardous drinking on homelessness in the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, a sample of 2898 older veterans (mean age = 50.2), receiving care in 8 VAs across the country. Methods: Logistic regression models examined the associations between (1) hazardous drinking at baseline and homelessness at 1-year follow-up, (2) transitions into and out of hazardous drinking from baseline to follow-up and homelessness at follow-up, and (3) transitioning to hazardous drinking and transitioning to homelessness from baseline to follow-up during that same time-period. Results: After controlling for other correlates including alcohol dependence, hazardous drinking at baseline increased the risk of homelessness at follow-up (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02, 1.88). Transitioning to hazardous drinking more than doubled the risk of homelessness at follow-up (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.41, 4.15), while more than doubling the risk of transitioning from being housed at baseline to being homeless at follow-up (AOR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.30, 4.79). Conclusions: Early intervention that seeks to prevent transitioning into hazardous drinking could increase housing stability among veterans. Brief interventions which have been shown to be effective at lower levels of alcohol use should be implemented with veterans in VA care.
KW - Alcohol use
KW - Hazardous drinking
KW - Homelessness
KW - Longitudinal analysis
KW - Veteran care
KW - Veterans Aging Cohort Study
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U2 - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.02.004
DO - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.02.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 23474200
AN - SCOPUS:84881660632
SN - 0376-8716
VL - 132
SP - 202
EP - 206
JO - Drug and Alcohol Dependence
JF - Drug and Alcohol Dependence
IS - 1-2
ER -
