National Prevalence and Correlates of Alcohol Misuse in Women Veterans

Our goal was to estimate the prevalence and correlates of alcohol misuse in women veterans and to assess the associations between alcohol misuse and mental health (MH) care utilization in a group comprising both Veterans Health Administration (VA) healthcare system users and non-users. We assessed alcohol misuse using survey-based AUDIT-C scores. The prevalence of alcohol misuse was 27% in VA users and 32% in non-users. Prevalence rates were higher for VA users who were younger, served in OEF/OIF, or had combat exposure and for VA non-users who screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder or sexual assault in the military. In contrast to VA users, VA non-users with alcohol misuse had a low prevalence of past-year MH care despite having indications of MH care need. Our results on alcohol misuse prevalence, its correlates, and its association with MH care may aid program planning and resource allocation in VA and non-VA settings.