Help-seeking behavior among Danish veterans with self-reported mental problems – a 22 years register-based follow-up study

Møller, Sanne Overgaard; Forsberg, Ole Köhler; Sørensen, Holger J.; Enemark, Morten Holm; Lyk-Jensen, Stéphanie Vincent; Madsen, Trine

doi:10.1080/08039488.2019.1669072

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 27 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…At any time during follow-up, the rate of postdeployment LTSA for individuals who had a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis was 2.1 times that of those without a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis, and the rate of postdeployment MHPs for individuals with a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis was 2.4 times that of those without a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis. These findings add to the increasing body of literature that has identified a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis as a risk factor for postdeployment MHPs (Crain et al, 2011;Lyk-Jensen et al, 2016;Schmied et al, 2013); this is in contrast to the study by Møller and colleagues (2019) in which the authors found no statistically significant effect of having received psychological treatment before deployment, after adjustment for PCE (Møller et al, 2019). The present findings are also in line with metaanalyses that have examined risk factors for PTSD among both civilian and military populations, which have also identified prior MHPs as a risk factor (Brewin et al, 2000;Xue et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…However, none of these studies adjusted for level of combat exposure during deployment, which is a major risk factor for postdeployment MHPs. A recent study that included data from 434 Danish military personnel deployed to the Balkans, Iraq, or Afghanistan found that, after adjusting for perceived combat exposure (PCE), there was no statistically significant effect for having received psychological treatment before deployment (Møller et al, 2019). Furthermore, a meta-analysis by Xue et al (2015) demonstrated that factors related to combat and traumatic events during deployment were much stronger predictors of PTSD than predeployment MHPs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effect of Predeployment Psychiatric Diagnoses on Postdeployment Long‐Term Sickness Absence and Mental Health Problems Among Danish Military Personnel

Stoltenberg

Nissen

Nielsen

et al. 2020

Journal of Traumatic Stress

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Military personnel may withhold information on mental health problems (MHPs) for fear of not being permitted to deploy. Past or current MHPs may, however, increase the risk of postdeployment MHPs. Using psychiatric diagnoses rather than self‐report assessments in predeployment screening may be a more effective screening strategy for determining deployment fitness. This retrospective follow‐up study investigated (a) the extent to which predeployment childhood and adult psychiatric diagnoses predicted postdeployment MHPs, measured as psychiatric diagnosis and the purchase of psychiatric drugs, and long‐term sickness absence among formerly deployed Danish military personnel and (b) whether perceived combat exposure moderated or mediated the effect of predeployment psychiatric diagnoses. Complete data were available for 7,514 Danish military personnel who answered questions on perceived combat exposure between 6–8 months after returning from their first deployment to the Balkans, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Data on all psychiatric diagnoses given at Danish hospitals, all medicine purchases, and all sickness absences were retrieved from nationwide research registers. Personnel with predeployment psychiatric diagnoses had a statistically significant higher risk for both postdeployment long‐term sickness absence, hazard ratio (HR) = 2.06, 95% CI [1.52, 2.80]; and postdeployment MHPs, HR = 2.38, 95% CI [1.73, 3.27], than personnel without a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis. Personnel with a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis demonstrated a higher risk of reporting high levels of perceived combat exposure. Perceived combat exposure was not found to moderate or mediate the effect of a predeployment psychiatric diagnosis on the two outcomes. Additional findings, limitations, and implications are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 52%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Predeployment Psychiatric Diagnoses on Postdeployment Long‐Term Sickness Absence and Mental Health Problems Among Danish Military Personnel

Stoltenberg

Nissen

Nielsen

et al. 2020

Journal of Traumatic Stress

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…22 Despite this recognition and prevalence of mental disorders, small numbers of veterans reported accessing MH services. [23][24][25] However, there were several factors that increased the likelihood of accessing MH services, such as symptom severity, support networks and being in crisis. [26][27][28]…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…22 Furthermore, a veteran study in Denmark stated that there was a lack of veteran-specific services. 24 Therefore, there are barriers to veterans' help-seeking behaviour which are nation-specific.…”

Section: Barriers To Help-seeking Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Veteran help-seeking behaviour for mental health issues: a systematic review

Randles

Finnegan

2021

BMJ Mil Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IntroductionServing military personnel and veterans have been identified to have a high prevalence of mental health disorders. Despite this, only a significantly small number seek mental healthcare. With the UK beginning to invest further support to the armed forces community, identification of barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviour is needed.MethodsCorresponding literature search was conducted in PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Medline, Web of Science and EBSCO. Articles which discussed barriers and facilitators of seeking help for mental health concerns in the veteran population were included. Those which discussed serving personnel or physical problems were not included within this review. A total of 26 papers were analysed.ResultsA number of barriers and facilitators of help-seeking for a mental health issue within the veteran population were identified. Barriers included stigma, military culture of stoicism and self-reliance, as well as deployment characteristics of combat exposure and different warzone deployments. Health service difficulties such as access and lack of understanding by civilian staff were also identified. Facilitators to help combat these barriers included a campaign to dispel the stigma, including involvement of veterans and training of military personnel, as well as more accessibility and understanding from healthcare staff.ConclusionsWhile some barriers and facilitators have been identified, much of this research has been conducted within the USA and on male veterans and lacks longitudinal evidence. Further research is needed within the context of other nations and female veterans and to further indicate the facilitators of help-seeking among veterans.

show abstract

“…Flere studier viser, at mandlige krigsveteraner med PTSD ofte søger professionel hjaelp meget sent. I gennemsnit søgte danske veteraner med "vedvarende psykiske udfordringer" først hjaelp 4,6 år efter deres udsendelse, mens veteraner med mindre vedvarende psykiske udfordringer i gennemsnit levede med disse udfordringer i 6,8 år, før de søgte hjaelp ved egen laege eller i psykiatrien (Møller et al, 2019).…”

Section: Kliniske Implikationerunclassified

Krigens betydning for parforholdet – hvordan veteraners efterreaktioner på udsendelse udfordrer intimitet og kommunikation blandt militære par

Greve¹,

Fentz²

2020

P&L

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Krig og væbnet konflikt er en af de globale kriser, der både direkte og indirekte kan føre til alvorlig belastning af individ og familiesystem. Danmark har siden 1948 udsendt mere end 60.000 soldater til områder med væbnet konflikt. Mange af disse soldater lever i parforhold. Overgangen fra udsendelse til at indgå i hverdagsrutiner, familieliv og parforhold opleves ofte som vanskelig for både veteran og dennes partner. Denne tilpasning kan yderligere kompliceres af den øgede forekomst af psykiske efterreaktioner og PTSD for veteraner, der har været udsendt i militær tjeneste. Disse to fænomener (transitionen fra udsendelse til familieliv og veteranens psykiske efterreaktioner på udsendelsen) og deres betydning for/belastning af parforholdet er dog hidtil blevet behandlet adskilt i stort set al international litteratur om militære par. Artiklens første del belyser de særlige udfordringer, militære par må håndtere i overgangen fra udsendelse til hjemkomst. For at øge forståelsen for normale transitionsprocesser blandt militære par udvides og konkretiseres en mere generel model for parforholdstransitioner ved at inddrage empirisk materiale om danske veteraners hjemkomst. I artiklens anden del diskuteres det, hvordan veteraners PTSD-symptomer yderligere kan komplicere militære pars mere langvarige tilpasning og relationelle samspil. Således inddrages teori og empiri om, hvordan PTSD-symptomer, særligt kognitive og emotionelle forstyrrelser, hos veteraner kan underminere og belaste intimitetsprocesser og kommunikation blandt militære par ud over den første transitionsfase. Afslutningsvist argumenterer vi for, at PTSD-symptomer og uhensigtsmæssige samspilsprocesser kan blive gensidigt fastholdende og eskalerende over tid. På baggrund heraf anbefaler vi, at der i forebyggelsesog behandlingsarbejdet med veteraner inddrages en øget opmærksomhed, dels på almene dyadiske udfordringer i transitionsprocessen fra udsendt til hjemkomst dels på betydningen af PTSD-symptomers rolle for fastholdende negative dyadiske processer i veteranens parforhold.

show abstract

Help-seeking behavior among Danish veterans with self-reported mental problems – a 22 years register-based follow-up study

Cited by 7 publications

References 27 publications

Effect of Predeployment Psychiatric Diagnoses on Postdeployment Long‐Term Sickness Absence and Mental Health Problems Among Danish Military Personnel

Effect of Predeployment Psychiatric Diagnoses on Postdeployment Long‐Term Sickness Absence and Mental Health Problems Among Danish Military Personnel

Veteran help-seeking behaviour for mental health issues: a systematic review

Krigens betydning for parforholdet – hvordan veteraners efterreaktioner på udsendelse udfordrer intimitet og kommunikation blandt militære par

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About