TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Civilian unemployment and mental health: the moderating impact of alcohol misuse in returning national guard
JO  - Military medicine
A1  - Kintzle, Sara
A1  - Oh, Hyunsung
A1  - Wilcox, Sherrie
A1  - Hassan, Anthony
A1  - Ell, Kathy
A1  - Castro, Carl
SP  - 986
EP  - 993
VL  - 180
IS  - 9
N2  - Postdeployment civilian unemployment has become a common problem and source of additional stress for National Guard (NG) personnel. This study evaluated 126 California NG members, exploring the relationship between immediate postdeployment employment status and self-reported mental health symptoms, including evidence of alcohol misuse. Participants were recruited from a NG unit within the first 3 months after returning home in August 2011. Over one-third of participants reported being unemployed beyond the part-time NG commitment. Mental health symptoms were greater in those participants without civilian employment. Additionally, those participants with comorbid alcohol misuse with either depression or post-traumatic stress disorder were significantly more likely to lack civilian employment. Interaction testing revealed a significant interaction between employment status and alcohol misuse for both depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Alcohol use was concluded to moderate the relationship between civilian unemployment and mental health symptoms. <br><br>RESULTS suggest that the part-time employment provided through NG service may serve as a protective factor in the development of negative psychological outcomes, except for cases where alcohol misuse is present.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0026-4075
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00466
ID  - ref1
ER  -