This study sought to determine if the self-assessed mental health of older, community-dwelling veterans differs from that of older nonveterans controlling for known demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical covariates of health and well-being. Participants are the older male respondents (65+ years) to the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (Round 1), conducted in 1996 (N = 1,068). In bivariable analyses using population weights, veterans were significantly less likely than nonveterans to report their mental health as fair to poor. However, when demographic, socioeconomic, and health-related characteristics were controlled, no statistically significant difference in self-assessed mental health was detected between veterans and nonveterans. Military service per se is not a risk factor for poorer self-appraised mental health in old age. Nor does military service confer protection from late-life deficits in mental health. Rather, mental health in later life is largely a function of an individual's health and socioeconomic status.
Military Service and Mental Health in Later Life
Type
Summary
Citation
O'Donnell, J. C. (2000). Military service and mental health in later life. Military medicine, 165(3), 219-223.