The impact of prior deployment experience on civilian employment after military service

Abstract

After stratifying for reason for military separation, mental disorders like depression or panic/anxiety and poor physical health may have greater impact than prior deployment experiences or PTSD on the ability to find or maintain employment postservice. These findings may guide support for veterans most in need of job placement services after military service.

Veterans’ Civilian Employment Experiences: Lessons Learnt From Focus Groups

“…Mental health difficulties have consistently been shown in various veteran and non-veteran studies to be associated with unemployment. Studies focusing specifically on veteran populations consistently find that depression and anxiety are associated with unemployment, but find no association between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and unemployment (Hamilton et al, 2015;Horton et al, 2013;Zivin et al, 2016). Research with human resource professionals found that, whilst the majority reported being willing to employ veterans with PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), several reported believing that employing veterans with mental health problems would involve more costs, more manager time, and were unsure if veterans with PTSD or TBI were more likely than others to be violent in the work place (Rudstam, Strobel Gower, & Cook, 2012).…”

Military, Demographic, and Psychosocial Predictors of Military Retention in Enlisted Army Soldiers 12 Months After Deployment to Iraq

“…Among military Veterans already separated from ser vice, depression and panic symptoms increased the risk of civilian unemployment, although recent deployment, combat exposure, and a positive screen for posttraumatic stress dis order (PTSD) did not predict self-reported civilian employ ment status. 11 The few studies examining military retention in relation to mental health concerns among active duty per sonnel returning from war-zone duty found that screening positive for mental health symptoms following deployment increased the likelihood of separating from military service. Hoge et al12 found that, within 1 year following return from deployment, military attrition increased by 8% (from 13% to 21%) among OEF Veterans and by 5% (from 16% to 21%) in OIF Veterans.…”

Labor market affiliation after deployment: Danish soldiers fare well, but face increased risk of long-term sickness absence when returning from Afghanistan

“…Indeed, a substantial proportion of FDS may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (9,10). Several studies have considered the effects of these conditions on LMA in military populations, with findings suggesting lower work-ability (11,12), more unemployment (12)(13)(14)(15)(16), and missed working days (17). In the general population, PTSD and depression have also been linked with increased risk of Labor market affiliation after military deployment layoff (18) and slower return to work after long-term sickness absence (LTSA) (19).…”

“…Furthermore, soldiers receive military training and obtain a specialized skillset and associated experience, which may be recognized by employers and thus promote a positive LMA (1,5,25). Other factors to consider are older age, which has been related to improved LMA (2,16,20) or the effect of greater formal education, the impact of which is not as conclusive (1,14,16,20). Finally, the era of the war (eg, Vietnam or post 9/11) may also affect LMA (2,5,23,24,26), but this may relate to general societal changes and may not be confined to FDS only (2).…”