The effect of military deployment on mental health

Lyk-Jensen, Stéphanie Vincent; Weatherall, Cecilie Dohlmann; Jepsen, P.

doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2016.09.005

Cited by 19 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Our study found that the prevalence of soldiers' depressive symptoms in our cohort was 28.4%, which is higher than the norm, though it was within range of the ratio among Chinese soldiers (14). This finding could be related to the different severities of military deployment exposure in which the adverse effects on mental health were observed (4,8). Moreover, Zung, who developed the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), proposed that the norm of SDS among the Chinese was higher than that from the United States due to cultural diversity (42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Additionally, depression is associated with increased suicide rates, decreased quality of life, and poor social functioning (3). Specifically, in the military context, the impacts of depression can be exacerbated since military populations encounter additional special stressors, which are associated with the high risk of soldiers' mental health deterioration (4), including potential threat or danger, combat exposure, geographical separation, strict hierarchy, conflict between ranks and limited communication with families (5,6). A meta-analysis found the evidence that combat experience substantially increases the risk of depression (OR = 1.60, 95%, CI = 1.09-2.35) (7).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rejection Sensitivity Mediates the Relationship Between Social-Interpersonal Stressors and Depressive Symptoms in Military Context

Jia

Cheng

et al. 2020

Front. Psychiatry

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Background: Depression is pervasive in the military context and is likely to elicit lasting negative effects on health. Based on interpersonal models, social-interpersonal stressors are significantly associated with the development and maintenance of depression. However, little is known about the mechanisms by which these stressors increase the risk of depression in terms of social relationships. Rejection sensitivity, which refers to people who are sensitive to social rejection and tend to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to it, may play an underlying role in this process, as it is formed through social-interpersonal stressors and then aggravates further symptoms of depression. Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the mediating effects on the relationship between social-interpersonal stressors and depressive symptoms in the military context. Methods: This study recruited 600 soldiers aged from 17 to 36 (M = 21.80; SD = 2.99; 100% males) with a cluster sampling method who completed Social-Interpersonal Stressors subscale, Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (RSQ), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Mediation analyses examined the underlying mechanism between social-interpersonal stressors and depressive symptoms. Results: The results support the hypothesis and indicate that rejection sensitivity mediates the association between social-interpersonal stressors and depressive symptoms (B indirect = 0.02, p < 0.001, 95% CI= 0.005 to 0.044). Conclusions: The findings suggest that interventions designed to desensitize individuals' high levels of rejection sensitivity may help to decrease their risk of depressive symptoms in the military environment. Rejection sensitivity is an important mechanism underpinning the development of depressive symptoms. Other theoretical and applied implications for prevention of depressive symptoms in the military context are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rejection Sensitivity Mediates the Relationship Between Social-Interpersonal Stressors and Depressive Symptoms in Military Context

Jia

Cheng

et al. 2020

Front. Psychiatry

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“…Our approach enables us to discriminate between the key competing hypotheses in the SAB-mental health nexus. Our paper also contributes to the literature by using objective mental measures from administrative registers on the consumption of psychopharmacaantidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics (for another recent example of using pharmaceutical data to proxy mental health, see Lyk-Jensen, Weatherall, and Jepsen (2016))rather than self-reported measures of mental health. As shown by e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social assistance and mental health: evidence from longitudinal administrative data on pharmaceutical consumption

et al. 2019

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This paper adds to the small literature on the role of welfare benefits and mental health by studying the relationship between uptake of Social Assistance Benefit (SAB) and objective mental health measures. We use rich longitudinal administrative data on income, unemployment benefits and psychopharmaceutic prescriptions (antidepressants, anxiolytics, and hypnotics) for more than 140,000 Swedes in 2006-2012. Relative to earlier studies focusing on subjective mental health, an advantage of our approach is that we use longitudinal administrative data that do not suffer from non-response, under-reporting and self-justification biases. While we document a strong positive association between SAB and psychopharmaca consumption in ordinary least squares models, fixed effects estimates indicate that most of the association is due to unobserved individualspecific predisposition. Insofar as a relationship remains in the fixed effect models, it is driven by highly educated men. This result is consistent with earlier quantitative studies using survey data and with qualitative research suggesting that SAB uptake may be particularly stigmatizing for individuals with a higher initial socioeconomic position.

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“…(2011) found U.S. Marines with predeployment psychiatric diagnoses to be 3.6 times more likely to have postdeployment MHPs compared with marines with no predeployment psychiatric diagnoses. Similarly, Lyk‐Jensen and colleagues (2016) found that deployed Danish soldiers who used mental health services before the age of 18 years were at a higher risk for postdeployment MHPs compared to those who had not used such services. However, none of these studies adjusted for level of combat exposure during deployment, which is a major risk factor for postdeployment MHPs.…”

mentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Using clinical psychiatric diagnoses registered before deployment as a screening tool might be a more reliable screening strategy than self-administered questionnaires and interviews. Some studies have found deployed military personnel with predeployment psychiatric diagnoses to be at increased risk of subsequent MHPs (Crain, Larson, Highfill-McRoy, & Schmied, 2011;Lyk-Jensen, Weatherall, & Jepsen, 2016;Schmied, Highfill-McRoy, Crain, & Larson, 2013;Taubman, 2009). Crain et al (2011) found U.S. Marines with predeployment psychiatric diagnoses to be 3.6 times more likely to have postdeployment MHPs compared with marines with no predeployment psychiatric diagnoses.…”

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

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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.

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The effect of military deployment on mental health

Cited by 19 publications

References 49 publications

Rejection Sensitivity Mediates the Relationship Between Social-Interpersonal Stressors and Depressive Symptoms in Military Context

Rejection Sensitivity Mediates the Relationship Between Social-Interpersonal Stressors and Depressive Symptoms in Military Context

Social assistance and mental health: evidence from longitudinal administrative data on pharmaceutical consumption

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

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