Perceptions of Overall Health Differences Among Veterans Across Marital Statuses

We examined the relationship between substance use, marital status, and perceived overall health using national data from a sample of 1,506 retired active-duty veterans. We found that binge drinking and heavy alcohol use among widowed veterans have a negative effect on overall health compared to married veterans who did not use alcohol in the past month. We found that non-binge and binge drinking have a positive effect on perceptions of overall health among divorced or separated veterans compared to those who are married and did not use alcohol in the past month. We discuss these findings and address clinical implications.