Stigma, Barriers to Care, and Use of Mental Health Services Among Active Duty and National Guard Soldiers After Combat

Abstract

Active duty soldiers with a mental health problem had significantly lower rates of service utilization than National Guard soldiers and significantly higher endorsements of stigma. Current and future efforts to improve care for veterans should work toward reducing the stigma of receiving mental health care.

Psychosocial Characteristics of Student Veterans with Service-Related Disabilities: Implications for Further Research and Occupational Therapy Involvement

“…The stigma against mental health conditions in the military has been described in previous studies and may have resulted in an even stronger bias for veterans to underreport symptoms (Kim, Thomas, Wilk, Castro, & Hoge, 2010). Future research on student veterans should consider measuring these variables using in-person interview or observation.…”

Chaplaincy and Mental Health in the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense

“…For Service members, the chaplain can serve not only as a spiritual advisor who ensures the provision of religious observances but also as a trusted confidant. Many Service members might be reluctant to seek care from a mental health professional for fear of stigma or negative impact on their career (Kim, Britt, Klocko, Riviere, & Adler, 2011;Kim, Thomas, Wilk, Castro, & Hoge, 2010), but they may be willing to turn to a chaplain. In the military, chaplains operate by a different standard than mental health professionals with respect to confidentiality.…”

Reducing Barriers to Mental Health and Social Services for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans: Outcomes of an Integrated Primary Care Clinic

“…Despite population-based mental health screening by the military and VA 13 , most OEF/OIF veterans with mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), do not access or receive an adequate course of mental health treatment 3,4,14,15 . OEF/OIF veterans continue to report numerous barriers to mental health care, most notably stigma 4,14,16,17 . Nevertheless, OEF/OIF veterans with mental health disorders have significantly higher rates of primary care utilization than those without mental health disorders 18,19 .…”