Risk Factors for Discharge from the Army with a Permanent Disability
Abstract
This report outlines progress made during the first year of the Risk Factors for Discharge from the Army with a Permanent Disability research project. Scope: The study's overall goal is to identify factors associated with the Army s rapidly increasing disability discharges rates in order to develop targeted and cost-efficient disability reduction strategies. We hypothesize that disability is the result of a combination of health, occupational, and personal risk factors that can be identified prior to the onset of a potentially disabling condition. It is further hypothesized that many of these factors are modifiable. With appropriate identification and intervention, disability among at-risk soldiers can be prevented. Major Findings to date: Underlying Army demographic changes over time do not explain the overall increases in disability rates. While increases in disability are generally experienced across all military demographic groups, fastest growing rates were observed among women, junior enlisted, younger soldiers and those without college degrees. The primary cause of increasing disability and disability overall is the adverse effects of acute and chronic injury. More research is needed to understand the etiology of these conditions and should include multivariate predictive models to assess independent effects of gender, education, rank and age.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA477951
Entities
People
- Carolyn Schwartz
- Ilyssa E. Hollander
- Nicole S. Bell