Publication year
2009
Citation Title
Association between number of deployments to Iraq and mental health screening outcomes in US Army soldiers.
Journal Name
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Journal Volume
70
Issue Number
9
Page Numbers
1266-1272
DOI
10.4088/jcp.08m04361
Summary
Retrospective data were used to determine the association between multiple deployments to Iraq and post-deployment mental health problems (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, anxiety), as identified by mental health screening outcomes for U.S. Army soldiers with one or two deployments to Iraq. Multiple deployments were associated with post-deployment PTSD.
Key Findings
U.S. Army Active Duty Soldiers with two deployments had odds 66% to 77% higher for screening positive for PTSD than Soldiers with one deployment.
Positive screenings for PTSD were more prevalent in single, younger, lower-enlisted Soldiers than those who were married, older, and in higher-enlisted rank.
Male Soldiers and those who were separated were at significantly greater odds of hazardous alcohol consumption, compared to female Soldiers and those who were married.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide information to those with depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms as well as hazardous alcohol consumption to help educate Service members on the individual risk related to multiple deployments
Educate and prepare Service members, spouses, and children for deployment, particularly if this is not the Service member’s first deployment
Offer classes that provide psychoeducation for military families about mental health issues related to deployment
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs for identifaction and prevention of mental health disorders after Service members are discharged
Recommend education of professionals that work with Service members and families in need of mental health care, especially after experiencing multiple deployments
Continue to assess the mental and physical health of Service members post-deployment
Methods
Retrospective data from routine mental health screenings between September 2005 and Artil 2007 were examined for the current study.
This article is focused on Active Duty, Army Service members with either one or two deployments to Iraq.
Participants had to have been screened within at least 60 days post-deployment.
Participants
The sample included 1,322 Soldiers; 661 with one deployment and 661 with two deployments.
Most Service members were White (one deployment = 65%, two deployments = 66%) and male (one deployment = 90%, two deployments = 91%).
The majority of Service members had a job classification of Non-Combat Arms (70%).
Limitations
Participants were from one U.S. Army installation and may differ from Service members at other installations.
Without a pretest it is impossible to determine whether there is a cumulative effect of deployment on PTSD (i.e., more time deployed lead to higher levels of PTSD symptoms), or if a second deployment serves as a unique instigator of PTSD (i.e., a second deployment is a unique predictor of PTSD above and beyond any effect of the first deployment)
Only Service members with one or two deployments were assessed in this study; Service members experiencing more than two deployments might show a different pattern of association between number of deployments and mental health.
Avenues for Future Research
Attempt to replicate the current findings, and consider third and fourth deployments, in an effort to determine if multiple deployments increase the risk of mental health problems
Examine a sample of Active, Reserve, and National Guard components from multiple branches of the military to be able to generalize findings across all military branches
Examine mental health longitudinally over multiple deployments to see how it changes over time
Focus
Army
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Objective: High rates of mental health concerns have been documented in US Army soldiers deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The goal of this study was to compare the postdeployment mental health screening results of US Army soldiers with 1 or 2 deployments to Iraq. Method: Routine mental health screening data collected from September 7, 2005, to April 27, 2007, in the Soldier Wellness Assessment Program were compared between soldiers evaluated after their first or second deployment to Iraq (n?=?1322). Standardized measures (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire, Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) were used to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic, other anxiety, major depression, other depression, and hazardous alcohol consumption 90 to 180 days after the soldiers returned from Iraq. Results: There was a significant association between number of deployments and mental health screening results such that soldiers with 2 deployments showed greater odds of screening positive for PTSD (odds ratio [OR]=1.64, P?=?.001). Similar results were observed when the analyses were repeated utilizing a more conservative cut-point for PTSD (OR?=?1.60, P?=?.001). After adjustment for demographic characteristics, the results were unchanged. There was no association between the number of deployments and other mental health screening results. Conclusions: These results provide preliminary evidence that multiple deployments to Iraq may be a risk factor for PTSD. However, these cross-sectional data require replication in a longitudinal study.
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