ObjectivesTo establish the level of psychological symptoms and the risk factors for possible decreased mental health among deployed UK maritime forces.MethodsA survey was completed by deployed Royal Navy (RN) personnel which measured the prevalence of common mental disorder (CMD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and potential alcohol misuse. Military and operational characteristics were also measured including exposure to potentially traumatic events, problems occurring at home during the deployment, unit cohesion, leadership and morale. Associations between variables of interest were identified using binary logistic regression to generate ORs and 95% CIs adjusted for a range of potential confounding variables.ResultsIn total, 41.2% (n=572/1387) of respondents reported probable CMD, 7.8% (n=109/1389) probable PTSD and 17.4% (n=242/1387) potentially harmful alcohol use. Lower morale, cohesion, leadership and problems at home were associated with CMD; lower morale, leadership, problems at home and exposure to potentially traumatic events were associated with probable PTSD; working in ships with a smaller crew size was associated with potentially harmful alcohol use.ConclusionsCMD and PTSD were more frequently reported in the maritime environment than during recent land-based deployments. Rates of potentially harmful alcohol use have reduced but remain higher than the wider military. Experiencing problems at home and exposure to potentially traumatic events were associated with experiencing poorer mental health; higher morale, cohesion and better leadership with fewer psychological symptoms.

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cent higher than for two-arm cranking. While our results support the contention that one-leg cycling elicits a higher V O , max than arm cranking, our 18 per cent difference is considerably larger than previously reported.Wie present study found a significantly higher VO? max and 0 , pulse max during one-leg cycling with no apparent differences in the HR max between conditions. These findings, which reflect an increased load on the heart during arm work, are similar to results from earlier s t u d i e s . i~' 3~i J I t ha3 been generally accepted that the VO, max is related to I tie active muscle mass involved during exercise. Because there were no significant differences in HR, VO,,and O ? pulse measures at submaximal work levels, it is suggested that the observed differences in VO? max and 0: pulse max, during one-leg and two-arm work, were due 10 variations in size of the active muscle mass, since thew was a significant difference in maximal workload during each respective test.