Timing of Postcombat Mental Health Assessments

When soldiers return from combat and peacekeeping operations, the United States and many NATO and Partnership for Peace countries conduct some form of postdeployment mental health assessment. To date, however, no research has been published examining changes in prevalence rates of mental health problems in the first several months after returning from combat duty. In this study, the authors examined the degree to which timing was related to reported prevalence rates of mental health problems in a matched sample of 509 US Army soldiers returning from combat in Iraq. Results showed significant increases in mental health problems at 120 days postdeployment relative to immediate reintegration. The findings are discussed in terms of providing mental health services to soldiers returning from combat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)