Preliminary research into cannabis and insomnia suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of insomnia. Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may decrease sleep latency but could impair sleep quality long-term. Novel studies investigating cannabinoids and obstructive sleep apnea suggest that synthetic cannabinoids such as nabilone and dronabinol may have short-term benefit for sleep apnea due to their modulatory effects on serotonin-mediated apneas. CBD may hold promise for REM sleep behavior disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness, while nabilone may reduce nightmares associated with PTSD and may improve sleep among patients with chronic pain. Research on cannabis and sleep is in its infancy and has yielded mixed results. Additional controlled and longitudinal research is critical to advance our understanding of research and clinical implications.
Objective.
To examine sociodemographic and military characteristics of U.S. veterans who do and do not utilize Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services as their primary source of healthcare, and examine the relationship between VA utilization and medical and psychosocial characteristics.
Methods.
Participants were a nationally representative sample of 3,152 military veterans (89.8% male, 83.5% Caucasian, 6.0%, Mage = 62.0, SD = 13.1) who completed a survey assessing healthcare utilization, sociodemographic, military service, medical and psychosocial characteristics. Receiver operator characteristic analyses and logistic and linear regressions were conducted to provide a comprehensive and multivariate examination of factors associated with VA utilization.
Results.
Veterans who used VA were more likely to be Black, younger, female, unmarried, less educated, and have lower household incomes. They were also more likely to have served longer in the military and in combat. VA users were more likely to screen positive for lifetime psychopathology, endorse current suicidality, and report enduring more traumas. VA users were also more likely to report more medical conditions, endorse a disability, and score lower on measures of functioning. The primary factor differentiating VA users from those that did not use VA was presence of lifetime psychopathology.
Conclusion.
Results provide a comprehensive profile of veterans who do and do not utilize VA and suggest that veterans who use VA have a substantially elevated health burden compared to other veterans. Results may help inform outreach and engagement initiatives targeting the unique healthcare needs of veterans who do and do not utilize VA services.
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