Barnett, M. L., Zhao, X., Fine, M. J., Thorpe, C. T., Sileanu, F. E., Cashy, J. P., Mor, M. K., Radomski, T. R., Hausmann, L. R., Good, C. B., & Gellad, W. F. (2019). Emergency physician opioid prescribing and risk of long-term use in the Veterans Health Administration: An observational analysis.Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(8), 1522–1529.
The authors of this article investigate the likelihood of long-term opioid use in veterans depending on the dose prescribed by the emergency physician. Barnett et al. (2019) demonstrate the prevalence of opioid prescriptions and determine that veterans who take higher doses are more likely to have long-term opioid use. Although the rate is not significant, this factor should be considered in the study.
Bennett, A.S., Watford, J. A., Elliott, L., Wolfson-Stofko, B., & Guarino, H. (2019). Military veterans’ overdose risk behavior: Demographic and biopsychosocial influences.Addictive Behaviors, 99, 1-22.
This article also examines the risk factors for overdose among veterans; however, it takes into account different demographic and biopsychosocial influences. Bennett et al. (2019) identified as the most significant predictors of opioid overdose mental health problems, high severity or interference of pain, and stressful life events. This information should be included in the research and used to formulate survey questions for respondents.
Rhee, T. G., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2019). Comparison of opioid use disorder among male veterans and non-veterans: Disorder rates, socio-demographics, co-morbidities, and quality of life.The American Journal of Addictions, 28(2), 92-100.
This article compares the incidence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among male veterans and non-veterans, which provides an overview of the problem of opioid dependence in the United States. In addition, Rhee and Rosenheck (2019) determine that the main risk factors of OUD for veterans and non-veterans are younger age, low income, educational level, and the presence of comorbid psychical disorders. These findings will be used to justify and answer the research question.
Riggs, K. R., Hoge, A. E., DeRussy, A. J., Montgomery, A. E., Holmes, S. K., Austin, E. L., Pollio, D. E., Kim, Y.-il, Varley, A. L., Gelberg, L., Gabrielian, S. E., Blosnich, J. R., Merlin, J., Gundlapalli, A. V., Jones, A. L., Gordon, A. J., & Kertesz, S. G. (2020). Prevalence of and risk factors associated with nonfatal overdose among veterans who have experienced homelessness.JAMA Network Open, 3(3).
The researchers of this article consider the influence of such a social factor as homelessness on the likelihood of an overdose of various substances among veterans. Although Riggs et al. (2020) find that the most frequent respondents have overdosed with alcohol, they also find that 1.7% of the participants had an opioid overdose, and 34.7% are drug addicts. This figure is relatively high and demonstrates the need to consider homelessness as a risk factor for OUD.
Turvey, C.L., Lund, B.C., Jones, D. and Arndt, S. (2020). Community treatment for opioid use disorders in urban and rural veterans.The Journal of Rural Health, 36(2), 167-176.
The authors of this article analyze the risk factor for OUD among veterans living in urban and rural areas. Turvey et al.’s (2019) findings show that this factor is relevant for preventive programs since veterans living in rural areas have higher hospitalization rates due to injectable drugs and opioid addiction. Thus, this information should be used in the research.