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Common mental disorders among US army aviation personnel: Prevalence and return to duty
Author(s) -
Britt Thomas W.,
McGhee James S.,
Quattlebaum Martin D.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22688
Subject(s) - waiver , mental health , duty , active duty , aviation , military personnel , occupational safety and health , medicine , psychiatry , psychology , law , engineering , aerospace engineering , pathology , political science
Abstract Objectives Assess the prevalence of US Army aviation personnel with common mental disorders, the percentage that return to duty following mental health treatment, and predictors of return to duty. Methods Examined the prevalence over a 5‐year period. The percentage of personnel who were granted a waiver to return to flying duty following treatment was also determined. Results The results revealed a 5‐year prevalence of 0.036 (95% CI = 0.034–0.038) for personnel experiencing one or more of the mental disorders ( N = 1,155). Prevalence was highest for adjustment disorders and for nonpilot participants. Overall, personnel were granted a waiver 55.3% of the time and suspended or disqualified 44.7% of the time. Waivers were more likely to be granted for an adjustment disorder and for pilots. Conclusions Discussion focuses on the importance of aviation personnel receiving mental health treatment when problems are not severe to maximize the likelihood of returning to duty.