The Behavioral Health of Minority Active Duty Service Members
Abstract
Central to maintaining a strong and ready force is ensuring the behavioral health of servicemembers. With multiple and protracted deployments to support combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during the years following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, a psychological toll has been exacted on service members, as evidenced by their high rates of behavioral health conditions such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, suicide, and alcohol and other substance use problems. Whereas the U.S. military has recognized the behavioral health needs of service members in general, the specific needs of racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minority groups are not well understood. In the civilian population, racial/ethnic minorities, women, and sexual orientation minorities have been shown to experience significant behavioral health disparities.1 However, it is not clear whether similar disparities exist in the military, and this topic has been subject to limited investigation. In addition, scant research has focused on the relationship between sociocultural environmental influences within the military (e.g., discrimination and harassment, stress exposure, social networks) and the behavioral health status of minority service groups.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1121792
Entities
People
- Elizabeth Roth
- Eunice C Wong
- Karen C. Osilla
- Lisa H. Jaycox
- Megan S. Schuler
- Sarah O. Meadows
- Terry L Schell
- Wing Y. Chan
Organizations
- RAND Corporation