Findings characterize demographic, military, and service member psychological health factors that are associated with depression among military spouses. These findings imply that deployment alone may not negatively affect military spouses, but rather it may be the mental health impact on the service member, especially PTSD that increases the odds for MDD among military spouses.

BackgroundWhile enrolling dyads in research studies is not uncommon, there is limited literature on the utility of different recruitment strategies and the resulting selection biases. This paper examined two recruitment strategies used to enroll military couples in a longitudinal study, assessing the impact of both strategies on the representativeness of the final study sample.MethodDescriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to 1) identify characteristics associated with spouse referral, 2) compare response rates based on recruitment strategy and assess whether recruitment strategy modified correlates of response propensity among spouses, and 3) assess whether referred spouse characteristics differed from non-referred spouses in the final sample. The study sample consisted of married US service members with 2–5 years of military service as of October 2011 and their spouses.ResultsService members who referred their spouses to participate in the Millennium Cohort Family Study were more likely to be male, have children, serve in the Army, and have combat deployment experience than those who did not refer their spouse. Nearly two-thirds (n = 5331, 64.9%) of referred spouses participated in the Family Study, compared with less than one-third (n = 3458, 29.5%) of directly contacted spouses. Spouse characteristics also differed significantly between recruitment groups.ConclusionsOverall results suggest that minimal bias was introduced by using a referral recruitment methodology. Service members appeared to be more likely to refer their spouses if they perceived the research topic as relevant to their spouse, such that male service members with combat deployment experience were more likely to refer female spouses caring for multiple children. Referred spouses were significantly more likely to respond to the Millennium Cohort Family Study survey than those who were directly contacted; however, the overall success rate of using a referral strategy was less than recruiting spouses through direct contact. Differences between referred spouses and spouses contacted directly mirrored service member referring characteristics.

Background Alcohol misuse rates are elevated in the US military. Relevant longitudinal data are rare in deployed shipboard personnel. We examined the prevalence of hazardous and dependent alcohol misuse at 3 months prior to (T1), during (T2), and 3 months following (T3) deployment among shipboard US Navy and Marine Corps personnel.Methods Data were collected from 11 local ships. Participants voluntarily completed anonymous surveys, including demographics, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT–C), drug use, sexually transmitted infection (STI), and sexual risk behavior at T1, T2, and T3. Participants reporting age, gender, and ≥1 AUDIT-C response were included in the analysis. AUDIT-C scoring criteria were ≥3 for women and ≥4 for men (hazardous) and ≥8 (dependent). Data were analyzed using SAS software version 9.3. Proportions of alcohol misuse by time point were reported. Generalized regression model analyses assessed effects of main exposures after adjusting for demographic characteristics (statistical significance of P < 0.05). Generalized estimating equations were used when longitudinal data were included. Models included the longitudinal data’s interaction with time.ResultsParticipants in the analyses were: T1 (n = 2,593), T2 (n = 2,010), and T3 (n = 1,556). For T1, T2, and T3, respectively, 38.9, 39.4, and 42.4% screened positive for hazardous and 14.6, 12, and 10.8% for dependent alcohol misuse. Among those aged <21 years, 43.9, 49.3, and 35.4% screened positive for alcohol misuse at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Longitudinal analysis showed those who screened positive for alcohol misuse were more likely to report an STI diagnosis (OR 2.4; 95% CI 1.44–4.01), exchange or receive money or goods for sex (OR 3.2; 95% CI 2.01–4.94), and use prescription or non-prescription drugs before sex (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.64–2.61) than those who did not screen positive, after adjusting for other variables.Conclusion Alcohol misuse was associated with STIs and sexual risk behaviors across deployment. Improved screening and intervention for individuals who misuse alcohol are needed among deploying shipboard personnel, which may result in a reduction of sexual risk-taking.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.