Dr. Resul Cesur, University of Connecticut
Seminar Title: “The Impact of War Deployments on Opioid Abuse”
Abstract:
Opioid-use disorders among war veterans have risen by over 50 percent in the last five years, with veterans facing opioid-related mortality rates that are 100 percent larger than civilians. This study is the first to estimate the impact of combat deployments on prescription pain reliever abuse and heroin consumption. We exploit the conditional random assignment of active duty servicemen to deployment duties to identify the causal effect of combat. Our results show that combat exposure is associated with substantial increases in the probabilities of prescription painkiller use and abuse, as well as increases in heroin use. Estimated effects are largest for younger enlisted servicemen. Among the potential channels at work include (i) war-related injuries, which lead to medical and then non-medical use of opioids, and (ii) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which may lead combat veterans to turn to opioids as a coping mechanism. Finally, we uncover some evidence that combat may lead to abuse of non-opioid prescription drugs designed to treat anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders.
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
3:00pm - 4:15pm
W.B. Young Building, room 132
View the full Spring 2018 ARE Seminar Schedule
For more information, contact: Tatiana Andreyeva at tatiana.andreyeva@uconn.edu