Citation

Panaite V, Brown R, Henry M, Garcia A, Powell-Cope G, Vanderploeg RD, Belanger HG. Adm. Policy Ment. Health 2018; 45(6): 850-875.

Affiliation

Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Tampa, FL, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10488-018-0869-7

PMID

29603055

Abstract

Population-based post-deployment screening programs within the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have been implemented to assess for mental health conditions and traumatic brain injury. The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the literature on post-deployment screening within this context and evaluate evidence compared to commonly accepted screening implementation criteria.

FINDINGS reflected highly variable psychometric properties of the various screens, variable treatment referral rates following screening, low to moderate treatment initiation rates following screening, and no information on treatment completion or long-term outcomes following screening. In sum, the evidence supporting population based post-deployment screening is inconclusive. Implications are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

Alcohol; Depression; Mental health screening; PTSD; TBI