Document Type
Poster
Date
4-10-2025
Keywords
Veterans, Chronic pain, Alcohol, Perceptions, Pain
Department
Psychology
Campus Community
Center for Health Behavior Research and Innovation
Language
English
Disciplines
Military and Veterans Studies
Description/Abstract
Introduction. Chronic pain and hazardous drinking (e.g., patterns of alcohol consumption associated with increased risk for negative consequences) are highly prevalent among U.S. military veterans. Perceptions regarding pain-alcohol interplay (i.e., pain as a motivator of drinking, use of alcohol to cope with pain, and pain as a barrier to alcohol cessation/reduction) may contribute to the onset and maintenance of hazardous drinking among individuals with chronic pain. Methods. Participants included 430 veterans who reported current chronic pain and past month alcohol consumption (24% female; 73% White; Mage = 57) and completed an online survey using Qualtrics Panels. Measures included the Perceptions about Pain and Alcohol Scale (PPAS) and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). Results. A binary logistic regression model indicated that positive perceptions of alcohol for pain coping (aOR = 1.16, p < 0.001) and pain as a barrier to cessation/reduction (aOR = 1.15, p = 0.002) were each associated with higher odds of current hazardous drinking. Perceptions of pain as a motivator of drinking were not uniquely associated with AUDIT scores. Discussion. These findings suggest that perceptions of pain-alcohol interplay may play an important role in the presence of hazardous drinking among veterans with chronic pain. Specifically, for every one-point increase in PPAS subscale scores, we observed a 15-16% increase in odds of scoring above AUDIT hazardous drinking cutoff. Future research is needed to corroborate these findings and to examine the utility of addressing pain-alcohol perceptions in the context of treatment.
Recommended Citation
Cohen, Ava; Carlin, Victoria E.; White, Kyle Mackenzie; and Ditre, Joseph W., "Perceptions about Pain and Alcohol in Relation to Hazardous Drinking among Veterans with Chronic Pain" (2025). Voices of Service Symposium. 6.
https://surface.syr.edu/vos/6
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
