ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the impact of deployment on the psychological health status, level of alcohol consumption, and use of psychological health resources of postdeployed Army Reserve (AR) soldiers. Data were collected from 51,078 postdeployed AR soldiers via DD Form 2900 to detect existing psychological and medical issues. As predicted, findings indicate that AR soldiers screened 7 or more months post redeployment are significantly more likely than those screened 3 to 6 months post redeployment to screen positive for moderate (chi2 (1, N = 44,319) = 15.75, p < 0.001) and severe (chi2 (1, N = 44,319) = 7.82, p < 0.05) functional impairment and PTSD (chi2 (1, N = 51,017) = 14.43, p < 0.001). Present findings are consistent with previous research, suggesting that adverse psychological health issues can be detected during their mild stages and resolved to prevent further degradation when screenings are performed according to military policy.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Health Status , Mental Health Services/statistics & numerical data , Mental Health , Military Personnel/psychology , Veterans/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Chi-Square Distribution , Combat Disorders/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , United StatesABSTRACT
Data gathered from a study of reserve component (RC) soldiers who were activated during the spring of 2002, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, suggested that they were concerned about how the effects of their activation affected their civilian employment. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to obtain this information from the civilian employers of these RC soldiers. Most civilian employers who participated in this study (N = 28) were male (89%) and working in law enforcement (39%). Fifty-six percent of employers gave consent to be interviewed by telephone. Although supervisors reported difficulties in several areas of operation and aspects of the RC activation, they still supported the activation of their RC employees and their military mission. This study is a significant start to illuminating the important roles that both RC employees and their civilian employers play in homeland defense.
