Substance use risk profiles and associations with early substance use in adolescence

We examined whether anxiety sensitivity, hopelessness, sensation seeking, and impulsivity (i.e., revised version of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale) would be related to the lifetime prevalence and age of onset of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use, and to polydrug use in early adolescence. Baseline data of a broader effectiveness study were used from 3,783 early adolescents aged 11–15 years. Structural equation models showed that hopelessness and sensation seeking were indicative of ever-used alcohol, tobacco or cannabis and for the use of more than one substance. Furthermore, individuals with higher levels of hopelessness had a higher chance of starting to use alcohol or cannabis at an earlier age, but highly anxiety sensitive individuals were less likely to start using alcohol use at a younger age. Conclusively, early adolescents who report higher levels of hopelessness and sensation seeking seem to be at higher risk for an early onset of substance use and poly substance use

Veterans seeking disability benefits for post-traumatic stress disorder: who applies and the self-reported meaning of disability compensation

Assumptions about the characteristics and motivations of individuals pursuing disability status are well known. However, policy, programming and interventions need to be based on information about the actual sociodemographic characteristics of disabled individuals, as well as their goals in seeking disability status. In this study, we focus on veterans seeking disability compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. We present information on their life circumstances and their self-reported reasons for valuing the obtainment of veterans' disability status on the basis of PTSD. There was considerable variability in the background of veterans seeking disability status on the basis of PTSD. Of concern, only about half of these individuals were receiving any mental health treatment at the time of application. Most claimants reported seeking disability compensation for symbolic reasons, especially for acknowledgement, validation and relief from self-blame. Reasons having to do with improved finances were less frequently endorsed, although the importance of obtaining improved solvency through disability status decreased as income increased. The sense of investment in obtaining a sense of self-acceptance and acceptance from others through disability status varied by sociodemographic variables. Overall, findings suggest that individuals seeking disability benefits may have unmet mental health care needs, and that policy makers, investigators and providers should consider material benefit as one of many possible reasons for engaging in a disability compensation system.USA Compensation Post-traumatic stress disorder Disability Veterans Mental health

A reassessment of the relationship between GDP and life satisfaction

Determining the relation between life satisfaction and aggregate income at country level has been problematic, because cross-country and times-series analysis generally give different conclusions. Here we analyze this relation without imposing any polynomial structure to the estimated model and eliminating potentially confounding country-specific factors. We show the existence of a bliss point in the interval between 26,000$and 30,000$ (2005 in PPP) in relationship between individual life satisfaction and GDP. An almost identical result is found when the relationship between aggregate income of Western European regions and life satisfaction of their residents is analyzed: in this case, data suggest a bliss point between 30,000$and 33,000$. In both samples, we find first evidence of a decreasing level of life satisfaction after the bliss points. Therefore, the analysis overall shows the existence of an hump-shaped pattern between GDP and life satisfaction. We discuss possible explanations of the hump-shaped pattern linked to external effects of the aggregate income on life satisfaction due, for example, to habit formation and income comparison and present an econometric test of this potential explanation based on some recent findings of the ve-factor personality theory

Experiences with VHA care: a qualitative study of U.S. women veterans with self-reported trauma histories

Abstract Background Women veterans in the United States, particularly those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or a history of military sexual assault, have unique health care needs, but their minority status in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has led to documented healthcare disparities when compared to men. This study’s objective was to obtain a richer understanding of the challenges and successes encountered by women veterans with self-reported service-related trauma histories (particularly those with a history of military sexual assault and/or posttraumatic stress symptomology) receiving VHA care. Methods Thirty-seven female Vietnam and post-Vietnam (1975–1998) era veterans were randomly selected from a cohort of PTSD disability benefit applicants to complete semi-structured interviews in 2011–2012. Grounded-theory informed procedures were used to identify interview themes; differences between veterans with and without a history of military sexual assault were examined through constant comparison. Results At the time of the interviews, many women believed that VHA was falling short of meeting women veterans’ needs (e.g., lack of women-only mental health programming). Also common, but particularly among those with a military sexual assault history, was the perception that VHA’s environment was unwelcoming; being “surrounded by men” yielded emotions ranging from discomfort and mistrust to severe anxiety. A few veterans reported recent positive changes and offered additional suggestions for improvement. Conclusions Findings suggest that while at the time of the interviews gains had been made in the delivery of gender-sensitive outpatient medical care, women veterans with a history of military sexual assault and/or posttraumatic stress symptomology perceived that they were not receiving the same quality of care as male veterans