SUBSTANCE DEPENDENT AMERICAN-INDIAN VETERANS - A NATIONAL EVALUATION

Demographic, clinical, and treatment episode characteristics of 3,087 American Indian veterans discharged from Department of Veterans Affair s hospitals in fiscal year 1991 were examined. Substance use disorders were diagnosed in 463 percent of discharged American Indians, compare d with 23.4 percent of discharged veterans overall. More than 97 perce nt of American Indian substance use diagnoses were for alcohol depende nce, while rates of other drug use disorders were low. Substance depen dent American Indians were younger, and more likely to be male and unm arried, than nondependent American Indians. Psychiatric disorders, par ticularly personality disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder, were more prevalent among American Indians diagnosed with su bstance use disorders, than among nondependent American Indians. Ameri can Indians with substance use disorders were similar demographically to the general population of substance dependent veterans. Rates of di agnosed psychiatric disorders and drug dependencies other than alcohol were lower among American Indians receiving substance (alcohol or dru g) use diagnoses than among the general population of substance depend ent veterans. Rates of rehospitalization following discharge were high er in substance-abusing American Indian veterans than among their coun terparts. Potential explanations for these findings are discussed.