The Impact of Predeployment Functional Impairment on Mental Health After Combat

Impaired functioning in the aftermath of a combat deployment is well-established. What is less clear, however, is the role of impaired functioning prior to deployment in predicting mental health adjustment following a return home. In this study, a longitudinal design was used to assess PTSD and depression symptoms, anger problems, and impaired functioning in a sample of 522 U. S. Army soldiers, two months prior to a 12-month deployment to Iraq and again three months following their return home. The study had two objectives: To determine whether predeployment functional impairment predicted postdeployment psychological adjustment level (in terms of PTSD and depression symptoms, anger problems); and to assess whether predeployment functional impairment interacted with combat exposure such that greater impairment and higher exposure were associated with poorer postdeployment psychological outcomes. A significant interaction effect between predeployment functional impairment and combat exposure in the prediction of PTSD symptoms was found using mixed-effects modeling, suggesting that service members who are exposed to high levels of combat are at greater risk for PTSD symptoms if they deployed with preexisting problems in functioning. Significant independent effects were found in models predicting depression symptoms, anger problems, and postdeployment functional impairment. Results have implications for the health of service members participating in multiple combat deployments who have limited opportunity to recover between deployments.