Role of Occupation on New-Onset Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Among Deployed Military Personnel

Abstract

To examine the role military occupation has on new-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among personnel deployed to Iraq. Methods: We analyzed 39,019 Navy and Marine Corps personnel without history of mental health disorder for PTSD and depression diagnosed within a year after returning from deployment to Iraq. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between occupation and postdeployment PTSD and depression diagnoses by branch of service. Navy health care specialists had higher odds of new-onset PTSD (odds ratio [OR]=4.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.55, 8.19) and depression (OR=2.60; 95% CI=1.52, 4.45) compared with Navy functional support/other personnel. In addition, Marine Corps combat specialists had higher odds of new-onset PTSD (OR=1.95; 95% CI=1.50, 2.55) and depression (OR=1.35; 95% CI=1.09, 1.67) compared with Marine functional support/other personnel. Occupation plays a significant role in the development of new-onset PTSD and depression. The high rates of PTSD and depression among health care specialists warrant further investigation into the potential effects of caregiver stress on mental health.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA619351

Entities

People

  • Amber L. Dougherty
  • Andrew J. MacGregor
  • Jonathan A. Mayo
  • Michael R. Galarneau

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Brain Injuries
  • Combat Injuries
  • Department Of Defense
  • Depression
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Marine Corps Personnel
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Mental Health
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Psychiatry
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

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