A Daily Examination of Anger and Alcohol Use Among Post-9/11 Veterans

• Main Author: Lee, James David
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2020
• Subjects: Military studies; Psychology
• ISBN: 9798684652912

Anger problems have been commonly reported among military service-connected individuals. Current estimates of self-reported anger issues among post-9/11 veterans are around 57% (Sayer et al., 2010). Alarmingly, it’s been reported that anger does not decrease over the course of the post-deployment period (Bliese et al., 2007; Heesink et al., 2015); left unmanaged, it has been associated with a higher risk for suicide (Kessler et al., 2014), post-traumatic stress (Forbes et al., 2008), and hazardous alcohol use (Steele & Fogarty, 2017). Heavy drinking within military-connected samples has also been a well-documented phenomenon. Recent findings suggest that service-connected individuals may cope with adversity and regulate emotions through alcohol use, which may put them at risk for developing alcohol use disorders (e.g., Miller, Pedersen, & Marshall, 2017). While some evidence has observed a positive link between anger and alcohol use (Jakupcak et al., 2007), the temporal relationship between anger and drinking is not fully understood. Little research has investigated intraindividual patterns of anger and drinking behaviors from a daily perspective, which is an important gap for this population who frequently report problems associated with both constructs. Therefore, the current study aimed to elucidate the relationship between daily anger, trait anger, and drinking behaviors from a daily diary perspective. Participants were comprised of a subsample of employed post-9/11 veterans (n = 101) who were recruited as part of the Study for Employment Retention of Veterans (SERVe) and were classified as regular-shift workers who consumed alcohol. Data were analyzed using within-subject multilevel regression models over time. Findings of the study indicated that the daily anger of veterans was negatively related to the number of evening drinks they consumed—especially among those with lower levels of trait anger. This study provides insight into the intrapersonal drinking behaviors of veterans in the workplace, a population rarely studied.