Patterns of Drug Usage among Vietnam Veterans
Abstract
A factor analysis was performed on an intercorrelation matrix of reported drug usage frequencies for seven drug categories at two consecutive periods of time. Subjects were 1,010 Army Vietnam veterans in pay grade E6 or below, aged 26 years or less. Retrospective reporting identified drug usage prior to a tour of Vietnam and during the tour. Four factors were extracted: (a) chronic use of marijuana, both before Vietnam and during Vietnam; (b) general drug usage during the Vietnam assignment; (c) pre-Vietnam narcotics usage; (d) pre-Vietnam soft drug encompassing the use of both amphetamines and barbiturates. Implications derived were: (a) Improved procedures for selection may be required to identify potential enlistees and Vietnam assignees with drug use problems. (b) Separate rehabilitation efforts may be required to treat successfully both long-term chronic drug users and men whose drug behavior was only recently acquired in Vietnam. (c) Additional analyses are required to study drug use experimentation in Vietnam to determine whether it leads to chronic use of narcotics.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0743162
Entities
People
- Allan H. Fisher Jr.
- Jacob Panzarella
- K. Eric Nelson
Organizations
- Human Resources Research Organization