Behavioral health and sleep problems among US Army veterinarians and veterinary technicians participating in the Millennium Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalences and relative odds of mental health problems, suicidal ideation, psychotropic medication use, problem drinking, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support among veterinarians and veterinary technicians, compared with other medical professionals, in the US Army. SAMPLE: 7,744 US Army personnel (957 officers [101 veterinarians and 856 physicians and dentists] and 6,787 enlisted personnel [334 veterinary technicians and 6,453 medics]) participating in the Millennium Cohort Study. PROCEDURES: Eligible participants completed ≥ 1 survey while serving as an Army veterinarian, veterinary technician, physician, general dentist, or medic. Analysis methods including multivariable logistic regression adjusted for covariates and stratified by pay grade were used to investigate associations between each health-care occupation and outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Veterinarians had higher reported prevalences of mental health problems, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support than did nontrauma physicians, trauma physicians, or dentists. On multivariable analysis, veterinarians had higher odds of mental health problems, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support, compared with physicians and dentists combined; odds for these outcomes were also higher for veterinarians, compared with various individual reference groups. Veterinary technicians had lower reported prevalence and lower odds of psychotropic medication use, compared with medics. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Further examination of Army policies and organizational structures related to veterinarians may be warranted, along with the development of policies and interventions designed to improve mental health, sleep quality, and social support among military veterinarians.

Behavioral health of US military veterinary personnel deployed to Afghanistan.

OBJECTIVE To compare symptoms of compromised behavioral health (BH symptoms) and factors protecting against those symptoms (protective factors) in military veterinary and nonveterinary health-care personnel deployed to Afghanistan. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey. SAMPLE 237 deployed military health-care personnel (21 veterinary and 216 nonveterinary). PROCEDURES Surveys were administered to participants during combat deployment in Afghanistan in 2013 to collect information on BH symptoms and protective factors. Data were compared between veterinary and nonveterinary health-care personnel by use of regression models controlling for demographic characteristics and deployment experiences. Partial correlations were computed to assess relationships between protective factors and BH symptoms, controlling for personnel type. RESULTS Less than 15% of veterinary and nonveterinary health-care personnel were at risk for suicidal ideation, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. After adjusting for covariates, both personnel types had similar levels of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety symptoms; however, veterinary personnel reported more distressing secondary traumatic stress symptoms and a greater number of anger reactions. Self-care, team support, and perceived supportive leadership were inversely associated with BH symptoms regardless of personnel type. Veterinary personnel engaged in less self-care, provided less team care, and rated leadership behaviors less positively than nonveterinary health-care personnel. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Compared with nonveterinary health-care personnel, deployed veterinary personnel were at greater risk of generalized anxiety disorder and reported more secondary traumatic stress and anger reactions, but were less likely to be engaged in and exposed to protective factors. Interventions designed to promote self-care and team support for veterinary personnel and their leaders may reduce the occupational risk of BH symptoms in deployment and perhaps other settings.