The overall goal of this study is to gain an understanding of the influence of the military workplace on this drinking beliefs, behaviors, and problems of enlisted personnel and officers. Building on recent theoretical developments, we seek to continue our focus on the work environment and workplace culture with the following objectives: to observe both work- and nonwork-related drinking patterns among an enlisted and officer work force; 2. to observe the effects of alcohol consumption on alcohol-related problems both at work and generally; 3. to examine the drinking and drinking problems in relation to individual background characteristics and psychosocial factors; 4. to analyze the relationship between drinking and work environments with guidance from a theoretical model that includes conceptual areas of social control, alcohol availability, and stress factors; 5. to study the effect of social and cultural characteristics of military life on alcohol beliefs, expectancies, and behaviors; and 6. to examine how gender and ethnicity influence drinking and drinking problems within the context of military and occupational culture, and conversely, how individual and/or group drinking is related to behavior that may be defined as harassing or abusive. The research design calls for a five-year study of the United States Navy, using a mixed method approach of ethnography, survey, and archival data collection. We will conduct a minimum of 100 semistructured, in- person interviews; multiple observations among regular enlisted and officer personnel in geographically dispersed work settings; administer a survey to approximately 3,500 regular enlistees and officers, with an oversampling of women and minorities in order to improve statistical power; and collect archival data on relevant problem areas within the entire Navy population. The Navy offers full cooperation and support. We have the opportunity to assess drinking and drinking problems in an occupational culture that encompasses a combination of military and public safety work. Therefore, our research findings and strategies for prevention will be generalizable to both civilian and military populations. Guidelines for prevention will be provided to the Navy annually.
| Ames, Genevieve M; Moore, Roland S; Cunradi, Carol B et al. (2014) Perceived Unfair Treatment and Problem Drinking among U.S. Navy Careerists. Mil Behav Health 2:33-41 |
| Cunradi, Carol B; Moore, Roland S; Ames, Genevieve (2008) Contribution of occupational factors to current smoking among active-duty U.S. Navy careerists. Nicotine Tob Res 10:429-37 |
| Ames, Genevieve M; Cunradi, Carol B; Moore, Roland S et al. (2007) Military culture and drinking behavior among U.S. Navy careerists. J Stud Alcohol Drugs 68:336-44 |
| Frank, J W; Moore, R S; Ames, G M (2000) Historical and cultural roots of drinking problems among American Indians. Am J Public Health 90:344-51 |
