Moderating Effect of Marital Status on the Association Between Combat Exposure and Post-Deployment Mental Health in Canadian Military Personnel

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 177-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberley Watkins ◽  
Jennifer E. C. Lee ◽  
Mark A. Zamorski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Combat Exposure ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Canadian Military

scholarly journals Influence of Spirituality on Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Suicidality in Active Duty Military Personnel

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurel L. Hourani ◽  
Jason Williams ◽  
Valerie Forman-Hoffman ◽  
Marian E. Lane ◽  
Belinda Weimer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Combat Exposure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Active Duty Military

Understanding the role of spirituality as a potential coping mechanism for military personnel is important given growing concern about the mental health issues of personnel returning from war. This study seeks to determine the extent to which spirituality is associated with selected mental health problems among active duty military personnel and whether it moderates the relationship between combat exposure/deployment and (a) depression, (b) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (c) suicidality in active duty military personnel. Data were drawn from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military Personnel. Over 24,000 randomly selected active duty personnel worldwide completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire. High spirituality had a significant protective effect only for depression symptoms. Medium, as opposed to high or low, levels of spirituality buffered each of the mental health outcomes to some degree. Medium and low spirituality levels predicted depression symptoms but only among those with moderate combat exposure. Medium spirituality levels also predicted PTSD symptoms among those with moderate levels of combat exposure and predicted self-reported suicidal ideation/attempt among those never deployed. These results point to the complex relationship between spirituality and mental health, particularly among military personnel and the need for further research.

scholarly journals Mental health outcomes in US and UK military personnel returning from Iraq

2014 ◽  
Vol 204 (3) ◽  
pp. 200-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefin Sundin ◽  
Richard K. Herrell ◽  
Charles W. Hoge ◽  
Nicola T. Fear ◽  
Amy B. Adler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Combat Exposure ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Military Health ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol ◽  
Hazardous Alcohol Consumption

BackgroundResearch of military personnel who deployed to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan has suggested that there are differences in mental health outcomes between UK and US military personnel.AimsTo compare the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hazardous alcohol consumption, aggressive behaviour and multiple physical symptoms in US and UK military personnel deployed to Iraq.MethodData were from one US (n= 1560) and one UK (n= 313) study of post-deployment military health of army personnel who had deployed to Iraq during 2007–2008. Analyses were stratified by high- and low-combat exposure.ResultsSignificant differences in combat exposure and sociodemographics were observed between US and UK personnel; controlling for these variables accounted for the difference in prevalence of PTSD, but not in the total symptom level scores. Levels of hazardous alcohol consumption (low-combat exposure: odds ratio (OR) = 0.13, 95% CI 0.07–0.21; high-combat exposure: OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.14–0.39) and aggression (low-combat exposure: OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.19–0.68) were significantly lower in US compared with UK personnel. There was no difference in multiple physical symptoms.ConclusionsDifferences in self-reported combat exposures explain most of the differences in reported prevalence of PTSD. Adjusting for self-reported combat exposures and sociodemographics did not explain differences in hazardous alcohol consumption or aggression.

scholarly journals Prevalence and severity of mental disorders in military personnel: a standardised comparison with civilians

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Trautmann ◽  
L. Goodwin ◽  
M. Höfler ◽  
F. Jacobi ◽  
J. Strehle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Military Personnel ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Composite International Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Combat Exposure ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Mental Health Service Provision

Aims.Provision and need for mental health services among military personnel are a major concern across nations. Two recent comparisons suggest higher rates of mental disorders in US and UK military personnel compared with civilians. However, these findings may not apply to other nations. Previous studies have focused on the overall effects of military service rather than the separate effects of military service and deployment. This study compared German military personnel with and without a history of deployment to sociodemographically matched civilians regarding prevalence and severity of 12-month DSM-IV mental disorders.Method.1439 deployed soldiers (DS), 779 never deployed soldiers (NS) and 1023 civilians were assessed with an adapted version of the Munich Composite International Diagnostic interview across the same timeframe. Data were weighted using propensity score methodology to assure comparability of the three samples.Results.Compared with adjusted civilians, the prevalence of any 12-month disorder was lower in NS (OR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5–0.99) and did not differ in DS. Significant differences between military personnel and civilians regarding prevalence and severity of individual diagnoses were only apparent for alcohol (DS: OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.1–0.6; NS: OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1–0.6) and nicotine dependence (DS: OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.6; NS: OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3–0.7) with lower values in both military samples. Elevated rates of panic/agoraphobia (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.4–5.3) and posttraumatic stress disorder (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 1.3–8.0) were observed in DS with high combat exposure compared with civilians.Conclusions.Rates and severity of mental disorders in the German military are comparable with civilians for internalising and lower for substance use disorders. A higher risk of some disorders is reduced to DS with high combat exposure. This finding has implications for mental health service provision and the need for targeted interventions. Differences to previous US and UK studies that suggest an overall higher prevalence in military personnel might result from divergent study methods, deployment characteristics, military structures and occupational factors. Some of these factors might yield valuable targets to improve military mental health.

The Moderating Effect of Resilience on Mental Health Consequences of Military Victimization

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica K. Morgan ◽  
James Trudeau ◽  
Joel K. Cartwright ◽  
Pamela K. Lattimore
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Health Consequences
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