%0 Journal Article
%T Mental health outcomes in US and UK military personnel returning from Iraq
%J British journal of psychiatry
%D 2014
%A Sundin, Josefin
%A Herrell, Richard K.
%A Hoge, Charles W.
%A Fear, Nicola T.
%A Adler, Amy B.
%A Greenberg, Neil
%A Riviere, Lyndon A.
%A Thomas, Jeffrey L.
%A Wessely, Simon
%A Bliese, Paul D.
%V 204
%N 3
%P 200-207
%X 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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Royal College of Psychiatry
%@ 0007-1250
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.113.129569