The Effects of Deployment Intensity on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: 2002–2006

Abstract

Our results highlight the importance of providing adequate mental health care resources for those returning from hostile deployments and raise concerns about combat effectiveness of long deployments.

Physical comorbidities of post‐traumatic stress disorder in Australian Vietnam War veterans

“…However, the lack of reliable associations between longer duration of deployment and subsequent poor health contradicts most literature in the area [2,35,149,159,172]. Current findings may be attributed to 'the healthy soldier effect' (that is, those who are deployed multiple times may be healthier than their never or less frequently deployed counterparts) or 'combat seasoning' (combat-related experiences on deployment may increase the physical and psychological resilience of veterans compared to their less experienced counterparts) [6,149].…”

“…Studies from several countries focusing on a variety of operational deployments have suggested that prolonged duration and high frequency of military deployments to hostile environments can have detrimental effects on the mental and physical health of military personnel [2,25,35,68,146,149,159,172]. Associations have been demonstrated between deployment length and alcohol misuse [149,172], symptoms of posttraumatic stress [2,149,159], poor general health [149], depression [2], and self-reports of multiple physical symptoms [149].…”

“…Associations have been demonstrated between deployment length and alcohol misuse [149,172], symptoms of posttraumatic stress [2,149,159], poor general health [149], depression [2], and self-reports of multiple physical symptoms [149]. The role of frequency of deployment is less clear.…”

“…Several studies have demonstrated associations between length of deployments and alcohol misuse [149,172], symptoms of posttraumatic stress [2,149,159], poor general health [149], depression [2], and self-reports of multiple physical symptoms [149]. Research suggests that the length of time deployed may be more important than the number of deployments, with UK defence members deployed for more than 12 months in a threeyear period at increased risk for a variety of adverse health outcomes [68,149].…”

Preliminary analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder screening within specialty clinic setting for OIF/OEF veterans seeking care for neck or back pain

“…Among recently returning veterans, an increase in the prevalence of PTSD has been associated with multiple factors, including (1) exposure to combat [47], (2) battle versus nonbattle injuries [50], (3) increase of deployment intensity and duration [51], and (4) blast injuries as opposed to other mechanisms of injury [9]. Elements of modern body armor, improved battlefield healthcare, and rapid medical evacuation have helped decrease combat-related mortality with an associated increase in the percentage of soldiers surviving severe traumatic injuries [49,[52][53].…”