Citation

Duma SJ, Reger MA, Canning SS, McNeil JD, Gahm GA. J. Trauma. Stress 2010; 23(1): 52-58.

Affiliation

Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, USA. Susan.Duma@va.gov

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.20484

PMID

20146258

Abstract

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.

Language: en