Service-Related Exposures and Physical Health Trajectories Among Aging Veteran Men

Taylor, Miles G.; Ureña, Stephanie; Kail, Ben Lennox

doi:10.1093/geront/gnv662

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Further, the VMS survey has a 49% response rate among HRS respondents who identify as veterans. Previous research with the VMS suggests this sample is slightly more advantaged than the broader Veteran HRS sample (Taylor et al, 2016). The nonrespondents (i.e., both HRS nonrespondents and those unable to be selected into the HRS to begin with) are likely to include veterans who are the most disadvantaged in a variety of ways including socioeconomic factors, health factors, and psychosocial factors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…LS is thought to encompass an appraisal process of the quality of one’s life that unfolds over-time based on individual, subjective criteria (Pavot & Diener, 2008). Negative physical and psychological long-term outcomes extending from wartime service (Taylor, Ureña, & Kail, 2016; Ureña et al, 2017) may work alternately or in tandem with the personal growth and positive reappraisals of experiences often thought to accompany PTG (Elder & Clipp, 1989). In this way, among veterans, LS may be an especially appropriate way to capture the varied implications of combat exposure experienced earlier in life (Settersten, Day, Elder, & Waldinger, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Individuals are more likely to remember accurately these kinds of data, particularly things such as parental characteristics, parental and respondent achievement (e.g., education and income), health factors and events, along with the timing and experiences related to military participation. Although several recent studies have considered the role of military exposures on health in later life (Taylor et al, 2016), we are aware of no studies that have explored the relationship between combat exposure and LS in later life, particularly with respect to the way it is shaped by early parental relationships.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Role of Maternal Relationship in the Persisting Effect of Combat Exposure

Carr

Taylor

Meyer

et al. 2019

Innovation in Aging

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Background and Objectives The veteran population is aging. Combat exposure is associated with negative health and psychological outcomes in some, but not all veterans; others even appear to experience gains. One mechanism driving these varied responses might be early life relationships. This study investigated the extent to which the quality of early maternal relationships influences the association between combat exposures and life satisfaction (LS) among older male veterans. Research Design and Methods Data were drawn from a pooled sample of male veterans in the Health and Retirement Study who completed the 2013 Veteran Mail Survey (N = 1,160). We used ordinary least squares regression to examine the association between combat exposures (with and without exposure to death) and LS, and the moderating effect of maternal relationship quality on this association. Results We found a significant positive association between maternal relationship quality and LS, and a significant association of combat that was dependent on maternal relationship quality. Specifically, combat-exposed veterans with poor maternal relationship quality reported lower LS, whereas combat-exposed veterans with high relationship quality reported higher LS—relative to their noncombat-exposed counterparts. The effects of exposure to death of hazardous toxins did not mediate or moderate this relationship. Discussion and Implications Findings indicate that maternal relationships had a lasting influence on whether combat contributed to a positive, negative, or neutral long-term effect on wellbeing. Findings support previous studies that suggest early life factors may play an important role in the fostering of resilient health outcomes over the life course. Implications for preventative strategies in soldiers are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Maternal Relationship in the Persisting Effect of Combat Exposure

Carr

Taylor

Meyer

et al. 2019

Innovation in Aging

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“…We constructed two study cohorts using HRS data—one for veterans and one for nonveterans. To identify individuals with veteran status, we used responses to the question, “Have you ever served in the active military of the United States?” as has been done previously (Gould et al, 2015; Taylor et al, 2015). We also identified physical activity levels using responses to two HRS questions about how often respondents take part in each of moderate and vigorous physical activities.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 85%

Physical Activity and Falls Among a National Cohort of Older Veterans

2020

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The more than 20 million U.S. veterans have a history of physical activity engagement but face increasing disability as they age. Falls are common among older adults, but there is little evidence on veterans’ fall risk. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using 48,643 observations from 14,831 older (≥65 years) Americans from the 2006–2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Veterans reported more noninjurious falls (26.6% vs. 24.0%, p < .002), but fewer fall-related injuries (8.9% vs. 12.3%, p < .001) than nonveterans. In adjusted analyses, for each 5-year increase in age, the odds of a noninjurious fall were greater for veterans (odds ratio [OR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.01, 1.10]) and, among those with regular physical activity, the odds were lower for veterans compared with nonveterans (OR = 0.89; 95% CI = [0.81, 0.99]). For veterans, physical activity engagement may prove a particularly effective mechanism for reducing the aging-related risks associated with falls and fall injuries.

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“…The Vietnam War (known among Vietnamese study participants as the “American War”) exacted a severe toll upon Vietnamese society [19, 20], yet knowledge of its enduring impacts still derives largely from American soldiers’ perspectives [21, 22]. Indeed, while several studies focused upon US veterans show that the long-term impacts of war are consequential for aging populations (as evidenced by a recent special issue of The Gerontologist on Veterans Aging [23–26]), knowledge is strikingly sparse and geographically narrow, deriving mostly from the West, and two groups in particular: US veterans and war refugees [27–31]. Research in the developed world tells us that veterans and war refugees face enhanced risks of physical and mental health problems, from heart disease to post-traumatic stress disorder, diabetes and other chronic diseases [32–38].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and measurement in a study of war exposure, health, and aging: protocol for the Vietnam health and aging study

et al. 2019

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BackgroundSurvivors of war throughout the world experience illnesses and injuries that are crucial to understand, given the ongoing treatment and adaptation they demand. In developing countries like Vietnam, where population aging and chronic disease burdens are rapidly rising, aging populations have seen a disproportionate share of armed conflict and related casualties. This paper describes the Vietnam Health and Aging Study (VHAS), a unique resource for investigating mechanisms of association between diverse exposures to armed conflict during the Vietnam War and multiple dimensions of older adult health among survivors of that war.MethodsThe VHAS utilizes a longitudinal design, the first wave of data collection conducted in 2018 among 2447 older adults. A second wave of follow-up data collection, scheduled to take place in 2021, will examine life course, social relational and health and mortality transitions. The VHAS was conducted in four northern Vietnamese districts purposively selected to represent a spectrum of war exposure as indicated by intensity of bombings. Additionally, VHAS uses random sampling within gender and military service subdomains to permit unique gender-specific analyses of military service, trauma exposure and health.The VHAS’ face-to-face interviews include modules detailing war and military service experiences; warzone stressors; and multiple dimensions of health such as chronic disease, functional limitation, disability, health behaviors, cognition and psychological health. Biomarker data collected for the full VHAS sample includes anthropometric and functional tests such as grip strength and blood pressure, hair samples for cortisol assay, and capillary blood samples to assay C-reactive protein, cholesterol, HbA1c, and other markers of interest for cardiovascular and other disease risks and for testing the impact of early life stressors on later life health. Blood samples will also permit epigenetic analysis of biological aging.DiscussionFuture VHAS investigations will examine dynamic linkages between war exposure, mortality and morbidity, while taking into account the selective nature of each of these processes. Longitudinal analyses will examine late-life health transitions and war-related resiliency.

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Service-Related Exposures and Physical Health Trajectories Among Aging Veteran Men

Cited by 33 publications

References 18 publications

The Role of Maternal Relationship in the Persisting Effect of Combat Exposure

The Role of Maternal Relationship in the Persisting Effect of Combat Exposure

Physical Activity and Falls Among a National Cohort of Older Veterans

Design and measurement in a study of war exposure, health, and aging: protocol for the Vietnam health and aging study

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