Citation

Baker DG, Heppner P, Afari N, Nunnink S, Kilmer M, Simmons A, Harder L, Bosse B. Mil. Med. 2009; 174(8): 773-778.

Affiliation

University of California, San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, 9500 Gilman Dr., MC 0603 La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Association of Military Surgeons of the United States)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

19743729

Abstract

Significant mental health symptoms are reported in troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (OEF/OIF). Symptomatic troops are more likely to be discharged and become eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) care. Prevalence and predictors of mental health symptoms were assessed in 339 OEF/OIF veterans and reservists registering at the San Diego DVA. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing combat exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom frequency and severity, depression, and substance and alcohol abuse. A minority of participants (36%) did not screen positive for mental health symptoms; the remainder met threshold for caseness of PTSD, depression, or substance and alcohol abuse. Using a hierarchical logistic regression model, gender, age, race, and rank were not significantly related to PTSD caseness, whereas most recent branch of service and report of injury during combat were. Follow-up analyses revealed that trauma history and combat exposure varied by branch of service. Knowledge of base rates and vulnerability factors can aid in rapid detection of "at risk" individuals.

Language: en