This application proposes to continue the feasibility phase of the follow-up of the classic Vietnam Veteran Drug Users Study for an 12 additional months (8/94 to 7/95). The original study was conducted in 1972 and again in 1974 by Dr. Lee Robins and her associates in the Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine. It assessed the extent of drug and other substance abuse and adjustment problems to civilian life one year and three years after departure from Vietnam. The Follow-Up Feasibility Study (DA07939) is currently funded for the duration of 15 months (05/93 to 07/94) to a) evaluate the locatability of the follow-up target respondents who were recruited nationally for the original study and have not been contacted since 1974; b) to provide cost estimates for the main study interviews based on the tracing efforts; and c) to provide preliminary outcome assessment based on the VA medical record search. The feasibility study is now in its sixth month. A total of 1,261 social security numbers (SSNs) representing 1,226 respondents has been traced through several sources. Preliminary results suggest that the follow-up main study is indeed feasible. We have already found that: 7.6% of the original sample are suspected dead; over 70% of the eligible and alive respondents were uniquely found with their addresses through a single SSN tracing method alone; and 33.7% of veterans were located via VA medical record search. We estimate the current location rate is 84% based upon the results from the completed tracing sources. Preliminary VA medical utilization results suggest substance use and mental health problems are prevalent in a subsample of the original study veterans. Therefore, in the competing continuation application, we propose to design and pretest the instruments while finalizing the research plan for the follow-up main study. In addition, we propose to complete further analyses of data from VA medical utilization and death searches not supported by the currently funded grant We plan to: 1) Finalize the interview instruments for the main study by adapting and modifying seven existing instruments. 2) Recruit a separate local sample of 40 Vietnam veterans and 20 non- veterans with demographic, substance use and mental health characteristics similar to those of the target follow-up sample. 3) Pretest the developed instrument on the 60 subjects to a) evaluate and improve the proposed instrument; and b) assess the differences in reporting between in-person or telephone interview modes. 4) Further analyze data and publish results of the VA medical utilization by 329 veterans in our sample, which includes 441 inpatient admissions since 1974 and over 13,000 outpatient clinic """"""""stops"""""""" since 1986. 5) Further analyze and publish results of the death record search. We will cross-validate each of the three death search sources with death certificates. Risk factors for death and timing of death will be explored from data of the original study. We plan to submit a new R01 application in early 1994 to begin the follow-up main study in January 1995.
| Price, R K; Risk, N K; Spitznagel, E L (2001) Remission from drug abuse over a 25-year period: patterns of remission and treatment use. Am J Public Health 91:1107-13 |
| Price, R K; Risk, N K; Murray, K S et al. (2001) Twenty-five year mortality of US servicemen deployed in Vietnam: predictive utility of early drug use. Drug Alcohol Depend 64:309-18 |
| Price, R K; Spitznagel, E L; Downey, T J et al. (2000) Applying artificial neural network models to clinical decision making. Psychol Assess 12:40-51 |
