Premium
Longitudinal mental health screening results among postdeployed U.S. soldiers preparing to deploy again
Author(s) -
Duma Susan J.,
Reger Mark A.,
Canning Sally S.,
McNeil J. Derek,
Gahm Gregory A.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20484
Subject(s) - anxiety , mental health , software deployment , depression (economics) , psychiatry , panic , alcohol consumption , medicine , anxiety disorder , public health , military personnel , panic disorder , environmental health , psychology , alcohol , nursing , computer science , political science , operating system , biochemistry , chemistry , law , economics , macroeconomics
Mental health concerns have been documented in soldiers postdeployed from Iraq or Afghanistan, but information is limited regarding individuals directed to deploy again. Routine screening assessed symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, panic, and hazardous alcohol consumption among 443 soldiers after returning from deployment and again before the next deployment. Initial rates for meeting screening criteria were under 9% with most around 5%. The average number of symptoms reported for depression, anxiety, and alcohol consumption decreased from first to second screening, as did the percentage of participants who met screening criteria for hazardous alcohol consumption. No change was observed on other screening measures. The findings suggest that mental health symptoms remain stable or decline for soldiers repeating deployment.