The following is a summary of “Associations between risky alcohol use, disability, and problem-solving impairment among Veterans with Gulf War Illness: Secondary data analysis of a randomized clinical trial,” published in the July 2023 issue of the Psychosomatic Research by Lesnewich et al.

Gulf War Illness (GWI) and alcoholism significantly contribute to disability among Gulf War Veterans. This secondary data analysis examined associations between hazardous alcohol use, problem-solving impairment, and disability among Veterans who participated in a randomized clinical trial of problem-solving treatment (PST) for GWI. Researchers examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations to determine if alcohol use moderated the treatment outcome of PST. Methods: Randomly assigned to PST or a control intervention were 268 United States military veterans with GWI. 

Participants were evaluated at four intervals. Included in the evaluations were the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHO-DAS 2.0), the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI), and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Short Form (AUDIT-C). They conducted cross-sectional multivariate regression and longitudinal mixed model analyses with separate WHO-DAS 2.0 and PSI models. In all models, AUDIT-C and household income were included. This investigation was previously registered on the Open Science Framework. Results of cross-sectional analyses revealed a statistically significant negative association with a small effect size between AUDIT-C and WHO-DAS 2.0 (P = 0.006; f² = 0.05); more significant disability was associated with less hazardous alcohol use. 

There was no evidence that dangerous alcohol consumption mitigated the effects of PST on disability or PSI. If replicated, the cross-sectional findings suggest that elevated levels of disability among Veterans with GWI may discourage heavy drinking. They found no evidence that hazardous alcohol consumption moderated the effectiveness of PST for GWI. Additional research is required to identify moderators of GWI interventions and comprehend hazardous drinking among Veterans with complex health problems.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022399923001939