Citation

Sundin J, Herrell RK, Hoge CW, Fear NT, Adler AB, Greenberg N, Riviere LA, Thomas JL, Wessely S, Bliese PD. Br. J. Psychiatry 2014; 204(3): 200-207.

Affiliation

Josefin Sundin, PhD, King's College London, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health (ACDMH), London, UK; Richard K. Herrell, PhD, Charles W. Hoge, MD, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA; Nicola T. Fear, DPhil(Oxon), King's College London, King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), London, UK; Amy B. Adler, PhD, US Army Medical Research Unit-Europe, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Heidelberg, Germany; Neil Greenberg, MD, King's College London, Academic Centre for Defence Mental Health (ACDMH), London, UK; Lyndon A. Riviere, PhD, Jeffrey L. Thomas, PhD, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA; Simon Wessely, MD, King's College London, King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR), London, UK; Paul D. Bliese, PhD, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Royal College of Psychiatry)

DOI

10.1192/bjp.bp.113.129569

PMID

24434071

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Research of military personnel who deployed to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan has suggested that there are differences in mental health outcomes between UK and US military personnel.

AIMS: To compare the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), hazardous alcohol consumption, aggressive behaviour and multiple physical symptoms in US and UK military personnel deployed to Iraq.

METHOD: Data were from one US (n = 1560) and one UK (n = 313) study of post-deployment military health of army personnel who had deployed to Iraq during 2007-2008. Analyses were stratified by high- and low-combat exposure.

RESULTS: Significant differences in combat exposure and sociodemographics were observed between US and UK personnel; controlling for these variables accounted for the difference in prevalence of PTSD, but not in the total symptom level scores. Levels of hazardous alcohol consumption (low-combat exposure: odds ratio (OR) = 0.13, 95% CI 0.07-0.21; high-combat exposure: OR = 0.23, 95% CI 0.14-0.39) and aggression (low-combat exposure: OR = 0.36, 95% CI 0.19-0.68) were significantly lower in US compared with UK personnel. There was no difference in multiple physical symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS: Differences in self-reported combat exposures explain most of the differences in reported prevalence of PTSD. Adjusting for self-reported combat exposures and sociodemographics did not explain differences in hazardous alcohol consumption or aggression.

Language: en