Publications
Research Publication 2
Title Publication Date/Location
Associations between spouse and service member prescriptions for high-risk and long-term opioids: a dyadic study Addictive Behaviors Reports 2021 June; 14

Sparks AC, Radakrishnan S, Corry NH, McDonald D, Carlson K, Carballo CE, Stander, V.

This study explores the extent to which military spouses’ obtainment of opioids is associated with their service member partners’ obtainment of opioid prescriptions, in addition to other factors such as service member health, state prescribing patterns, and sociodemographic characteristics. Findings suggest that reducing the number of long-term and high-risk opioid prescriptions to service members may subsequently reduce the number of similar prescriptions obtained by their spouses. Reducing the number of service members and spouses at risk for adverse events may prove to be effective in stemming the opioid epidemic and improve the overall health and safety of military spouses and thus, the readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces.

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Association of military life experiences and health indicators among military spouses BMC Public Health 2019 Nov;19(1):1517

Corry NH, Radakrishnan S, Williams CS, Sparks AC, Woodall KA, Fairbank JA, Stander VA

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which military spouses' health behaviors met national physical health goals (Healthy People 2020), and to assess associations between health behaviors and sociodemographic characteristics, military experiences, and psychosocial factors. Attainment of national health goals was measured using six indicators of health: 1) healthy weight (body mass index), 2) aerobic exercise, 3) strength training, 4) sleep, 5) alcohol use (risky drinking), and 6) tobacco use. Overall, the majority of military spouses and service members met most of the HP2020 goals analyzed in the study, and the behaviors of each member of the couple were moderately correlated. Greater social support and perceived support from the military, in addition to several demographic variables, were associated with a greater likelihood of meeting the Healthy People 2020 goals among military spouses.

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Assessing and adjusting for non-response in the Millennium Cohort Family Study BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 Jan;17:16

Corry NH, Williams CS, Battaglia M, McMaster HS, Stander VA

This paper examines factors contributing to second stage survey non-response during the baseline data collection for the Millennium Cohort Family Study, a large longitudinal study of US service members and their spouses from all branches of the military. Due to its design features, the Family Study offers a unique opportunity to thoroughly examine and adjust for non-response bias among military spouses by analysing extensive data collected from their service member partners on the Millennium Cohort survey, including sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics. This study contributes to the interpretation and use of the Family Study data by describing the sample and examining and addressing systematic non-response in the baseline sample and provides insights to inform future study designs and recruitment practices involving military spouses.

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An experimental comparison of web-push vs. paper-only survey procedures for conducting an in-depth health survey of military spouses BMC Medical Research Methodology 2017 Apr;17:73

McMaster HS, LeardMann CA, Speigle S, Dillman DA

An experiment was conducted to compare two methods for surveying spouses married to U.S. Service members. Military spouses were assigned to either a web-push group (requesting online survey completion initially and then in later contacts offering a paper option) or to a paper-only group (requesting response by paper survey only). The web-push approach produced a significantly higher response rate and was less expensive than the paper-only approach, with no meaningful differences in spouse demographic, military, and health characteristics. Results suggest that a web-approach may be more effective with young military spouses because of their heavy reliance on the internet and that this may also hold true for the general population as they become more uniformly internet savvy.

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Alcohol misuse and separation from military service: A dyadic perspective Addictive Behaviors 2020 Nov;110:106512

Porter B, Rodriguez LM, Woodall KA, Pflieger JC, Stander VA

Poor outcomes result from service member alcohol misuse, but the extent to which military spouses' alcohol misuse impacts service members is unclear. This study evaluated the influence of dyadic patterns of alcohol misuse on likelihood of separating from the military among 7,965 opposite sex married couples with one military and one civilian/veteran spouse. The prevalence of alcohol misuse among military couples was high, but alcohol misuse frequently was reported by only one member of a couple. Results indicated that service member alcohol misuse was more strongly related to military separation than spouse alcohol misuse. Additionally, the study indicated that heavy weekly drinking was a stronger predictor of separation among female than male service members. Future research should replicate this finding and further evaluate the implications of this gender difference.

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A Model of Deployment Readiness among Military Spouses: The Role of Mental Health and Deployment-Related Personal Growth Military Behavioral Health 2020 Oct; 8(4): 378-395

Richardson SM, Pflieger JC, Woodall KA, Stander VA, Riviere LA

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine deployment-related risks, resources, and mediators contributing to military spouse perception of readiness for future service member deployments. Findings indicated that service member combat and injury negatively impacted spouse perception of deployment readiness through detriments to service member and spouse mental health. However, informal support and deployment communication were positively related to mental health for both partners, leading to improved spouse-perceived deployment readiness.

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