Combat Exposure, Cigarette Consumption, and Substance Use

Abstract

This study estimates the relationship between combat exposure and several risky health behaviors: cigarette consumption, binge drinking, and drug use. We find that the U.S. active duty military personnel deployed to combat zones with enemy firefight are more likely to subsequently smoke cigarettes, consume alcohol, and use illicit drugs than their counterparts deployed to noncombat operations. Our results suggest that the mental health effects of combat can explain up to two‐thirds of the estimated association between combat exposure and risky health behaviors. (JEL H56, I12)

Nonpharmacological Treatment of Army Service Members with Chronic Pain Is Associated with Fewer Adverse Outcomes After Transition to the Veterans Health Administration

“…Also, service members with more combat exposure during their deployments are at higher risk for suicidal behavior. 39,40 While our analyses accounted for covariates of combat exposure (e.g., TBI and PTSD), we did not control for combat exposure itself. It is possible that combat exposure was not balanced between the NPT and No-NPT group, thus potentially affecting the observed associations between NPT and suicide ideation, and selfinflicted injuries in our study.…”

Strain and Deviant Reactions in Compulsory Military Service: An Investigation of Mediating Mechanisms

“…Due to the positive skewness resulting from a high number of 0 responses, we dichotomized the variable as 0 = never committed an offense and 1 = committed an offense at least once during service. Similar to the measurement strategies used in recent research (Acion et al, 2013; Cesur et al, 2016; Nedelec et al, 2016), drug use was measured by an index that included measures of (1) unprescribed sleeping pills or tranquilizers, (2) cannabis (hashish or marijuana), (3) ecstasy, (4) cocaine, and (5) heroin. Respondents were asked how often (if ever) they used any of these drugs during their military service.…”

Combat, casualties, and compensation: Evidence from Iraq and Afghanistan

“…The literature on combat deployments (Ackerman, Porter, & Sullivan 2020; Armey & Lipow 2016; Cesur, Chesney, & Sabia 2016; Cesur & Sabia 2016; Cesur, Sabia, & Tekin 2013, 2015; Engel, Gallagher, & Lyle 2010; Lyle 2006; Negrusa, Negrusa, & Hosek 2014; Shen, Cunha, & Williams 2016) has used a variety of techniques including comparing (1) deployed service members with those stateside, (2) combat deployments versus non‐combat deployments, (3) civilians versus combat deployments, and (4) active duty versus non‐active duty deployments to estimate the effects of combat deployments on economic and social outcomes. Here we use an estimation strategy that is the most relevant for the purposes of our research—comparing fatalities of stateside US service members with those deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.…”

“…We contribute to a growing body of literature that has examined the effects of combat deployments on a number of medium‐term and long‐term outcomes including violence, health, homelessness, family structure, and education (Ackerman, Porter, & Sullivan 2020; Armey & Lipow 2016; Cesur, Chesney, & Sabia 2016; Cesur & Sabia 2016; Cesur, Sabia, & Tekin 2013, 2015; Engel, Gallagher, & Lyle 2010; Lyle 2006; Negrusa, Negrusa, & Hosek 2014; Shen, Cunha, & Williams 2016). Consistent with the previous literature, we use the exogeneity of combat deployments to estimate the effect of combat deployments to Iraq or Afghanistan on casualty rates (see Lyle [2006] for elaboration).…”