Military Deployments and Soldier Readiness.

Abstract

The impact of deployment length on soldier mental health was assessed in U.S. military personnel as they re-deployed from the Bosnia-Herzegovina area of operations. All personnel completed scales measuring depression, potential alcohol abuse, and post-traumatic stress (PTSD). The mental health of the deployed force changed as a function of deployment length. After being deployed for 5 to 6 months, the percent of soldiers who scored above criterion increased for all three scales. These increases in psychological distress indicators continued at least up to 10 months. These results demonstrate (a) that the mental health status of a deployed force in support of a peacekeeping mission changes as a function of deployment length, (b) that a tour length of 4 to 6 months in the Bosnia-Herzegovina area of operations is acceptable in terms of maintaining the mental health of the deployed force, and (c) that the psychological readiness of a deployed force can be accurately and reliably measured. Note: Abstract is accompanied by briefing slides that MAJ Castro presented at the 35th International Applied Military Psychology Symposium (lAMPS), Firenze, Italy (24-28 May 1999).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 28, 1999
Accession Number
ADA367505

Entities

People

  • Amy B Adler
  • Carl A. Castro

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Biomedical Research
  • Bosnia Herzegovina
  • Classification
  • Deployment
  • Depression
  • Health
  • Information Operations
  • Mental Health
  • Military Operations
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Psychology
  • Personnel Management
  • Psychology
  • Security

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Academic Conference Management
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.