{"id":3093,"date":"2014-01-13T08:25:21","date_gmt":"2014-01-13T15:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scramsystems.com\/blog\/?p=3093"},"modified":"2021-08-26T12:03:10","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T18:03:10","slug":"rand-study-looks-military-contractors-alcohol-misuse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scramsystems.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/rand-study-looks-military-contractors-alcohol-misuse\/","title":{"rendered":"RAND Study Looks at Military Contractors and Alcohol Misuse"},"content":{"rendered":"

For a significant number of veterans<\/a>, alcohol misuse is one legacy of their military service. In 2006, 1.8 million veterans of any age met the criteria for having a substance abuse disorder. And in 2010, the VA saw 362,737 veterans who had been diagnosed for an alcohol abuse problem.<\/p>\n

But a new study from the RAND Corporation<\/a> sheds light on alcohol issues among another population of people who serve in conflict zones: civilian contractors.<\/p>\n

\"Alcohol<\/a>Increase in contractors<\/h3>\n

Over the past decade, the U.S. has increasingly relied on private contractors to perform tasks in war areas, including transportation, intelligence gathering, construction, and security. In fact, the study notes that in 2010, there were more Department of Defense contractors than military personnel in both Iraq and Afghanistan: more than 250,000 total. These individuals are often subject to the same stressors as members of the military, such as \u201cgunfire, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other modes of attack; serious injury; [and] the deaths of fellow personnel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Report findings<\/h3>\n

But unlike their counterparts, the impact of these stressors on contractors\u2019 physical and mental health has not been extensively studied. To fill in that gap, the RAND researchers surveyed 660 American and international contractors who worked in a conflict zone between 2011 and 2013. Among their findings:<\/p>\n