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Prospective Evaluation of Mental Health and Deployment Experience Among Women in the US Military

Overview of attention for article published in American Journal of Epidemiology, July 2012
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Title
Prospective Evaluation of Mental Health and Deployment Experience Among Women in the US Military
Published in
American Journal of Epidemiology, July 2012
DOI 10.1093/aje/kwr496
Pubmed ID
Authors

Amber D. Seelig, Isabel G. Jacobson, Besa Smith, Tomoko I. Hooper, Gary D. Gackstetter, Margaret A. K. Ryan, Timothy S. Wells, Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, Tyler C. Smith, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team

Abstract

Previous research has shown that military women often experience potentially severe health outcomes following deployment. Data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a 21-year longitudinal study examining the health effects of military service, were used to examine this issue. In longitudinal analyses (2001-2008) carried out among US military women (n = 17,481), the authors examined positive screens for depression, anxiety, panic, and posttraumatic stress disorder in relation to deployment in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while adjusting for relevant baseline and time-varying covariates. Women who were deployed and reported combat-related exposures had greater odds than nondeployed women of reporting symptoms of a mental health condition (odds ratio = 1.91, 95% confidence interval: 1.65, 2.20), after adjustment for demographic, military, and behavioral covariates. In addition, higher stress, problem drinking, and a history of mental illness were significantly associated with increased risk of later mental health conditions. In contrast, women in the Reserves or National Guard and those with higher education were at decreased risk of mental health conditions (all P 's < 0.01). As the roles and responsibilities of women in the military expand and deployments continue, designing better prevention and recovery strategies specifically for women are critical for overall force health protection and readiness.

Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 104 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
United States 2 2%
United Kingdom 1 <1%
Unknown 101 97%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 22 21%
Student > Ph. D. Student 12 12%
Student > Bachelor 10 10%
Researcher 8 8%
Student > Doctoral Student 6 6%
Other 19 18%
Unknown 27 26%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 20 19%
Psychology 19 18%
Social Sciences 9 9%
Neuroscience 5 5%
Nursing and Health Professions 4 4%
Other 18 17%
Unknown 29 28%