BACKGROUND: Most previous attempts to determine the psychological cost of military deployment have been limited by reliance on convenience samples, lack of pre-deployment data or confidentiality and cross-sectional designs. AIMS: This study addressed these limitations using a population-based, prospective cohort of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. METHOD: The sample consisted of U.S. military service members in all branches including active duty, reserve and national guard who deployed once (n = 3393) or multiple times (n = 4394). Self-reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress were obtained prior to deployment and at two follow-ups spaced 3 years apart. Data were examined for longitudinal trajectories using latent growth mixture modelling. RESULTS: Each analysis revealed remarkably similar post-traumatic stress trajectories across time. The most common pattern was low-stable post-traumatic stress or resilience (83.1% single deployers, 84.9% multiple deployers), moderate-improving (8.0%, 8.5%), then worsening-chronic post-traumatic stress (6.7%, 4.5%), high-stable (2.2% single deployers only) and high-improving (2.2% multiple deployers only). Covariates associated with each trajectory were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The final models exhibited similar types of trajectories for single and multiple deployers; most notably, the stable trajectory of low post-traumatic stress preto post-deployment, or resilience, was exceptionally high. Several factors predicting trajectories were identified, which we hope will assist in future research aimed at decreasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among deployers.
BACKGROUND: Most previous attempts to determine the psychological cost of military deployment have been limited by reliance on convenience samples, lack of pre-deployment data or confidentiality and cross-sectional designs. AIMS: This study addressed these limitations using a population-based, prospective cohort of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. METHOD: The sample consisted of U.S. military service members in all branches including active duty, reserve and national guard who deployed once (n = 3393) or multiple times (n = 4394). Self-reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress were obtained prior to deployment and at two follow-ups spaced 3 years apart. Data were examined for longitudinal trajectories using latent growth mixture modelling. RESULTS: Each analysis revealed remarkably similar post-traumatic stress trajectories across time. The most common pattern was low-stable post-traumatic stress or resilience (83.1% single deployers, 84.9% multiple deployers), moderate-improving (8.0%, 8.5%), then worsening-chronic post-traumatic stress (6.7%, 4.5%), high-stable (2.2% single deployers only) and high-improving (2.2% multiple deployers only). Covariates associated with each trajectory were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The final models exhibited similar types of trajectories for single and multiple deployers; most notably, the stable trajectory of low post-traumatic stress preto post-deployment, or resilience, was exceptionally high. Several factors predicting trajectories were identified, which we hope will assist in future research aimed at decreasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among deployers.
Authors: Isaac R Galatzer-Levy; Maria M Steenkamp; Adam D Brown; Meng Qian; Sabra Inslicht; Clare Henn-Haase; Christian Otte; Rachel Yehuda; Thomas C Neylan; Charles R Marmar Journal: J Psychiatr Res Date: 2014-05-14 Impact factor: 4.791
Authors: Jeffrey L Birk; Jennifer A Sumner; Mytra Haerizadeh; Reuben Heyman-Kantor; Louise Falzon; Christopher Gonzalez; Liliya Gershengoren; Peter Shapiro; Donald Edmondson; Ian M Kronish Journal: J Anxiety Disord Date: 2019-03-20
Authors: Bradley C Nindl; John W Castellani; Bradley J Warr; Marilyn A Sharp; Paul C Henning; Barry A Spiering; Dennis E Scofield Journal: Eur J Appl Physiol Date: 2013-02-22 Impact factor: 3.078