1 - (SYM 94) Women Veterans' Perspectives of a Novel Brief Alcohol Intervention in Primary Care

Background: Unhealthy alcohol use is increasing among women, yet women are less likely to engage in alcohol treatment than men. Women are more likely to engage in alcohol treatment in non-specialty settings (e.g., primary care), yet current primary care alcohol treatment is limited with respect to women’s needs. Adapting mental health interventions from specialty care to primary care is a common and effective practice but has not been widely implemented for alcohol treatment. Assessing women’s perspectives on novel alcohol treatment approaches in primary care may help narrow the alcohol treatment gap among women.


Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with women Veterans (n = 20; mean age = 47.55 (8.97); 50% White) who had unhealthy alcohol use (mean AUDIT = 13.15) and a recent primary care visit as part of a mixed-methods pilot investigation to assess perceptions of four theoretically-informed components of treatment acceptability (appropriateness, convenience, suitability, effectiveness) of a novel brief alcohol intervention in primary care. A rapid analytic process was used to organize and interpret data.

Results: Participants identified alcohol as a relevant concern, that it is normative in military culture, and that women often do not disclose unhealthy alcohol use due to stigma. Participants noted that alcohol is often used to cope with distress (e.g., psychiatric symptoms) and expressed preferences for women-specific services. Participants highlighted flexibility in modality (e.g., telehealth and in-person options), scheduling, resources, and intervention length/duration as important for increasing convenience. Participants appreciated the proposed patient-centered approach particularly related to patients’ autonomy in setting a variety of alcohol-related goals (e.g., reduced consumption, abstinence) and stated this increased the intervention’s suitability, or fit with their individual lifestyle. Participants noted that the proposed intervention content (e.g., information on alcohol’s effect on women’s health) and skills (e.g., identifying triggers and managing cravings) would be effective to manage unhealthy alcohol use.


Conclusion: Identified themes have important implications for alcohol treatment among women. Designing and evaluating novel interventions that adapt specialty care alcohol intervention content and skills for accessible and lower-stigma settings like primary care aligns with women Veterans’ needs and preferences and may help narrow the alcohol treatment gap.