SimCoach Evaluation: A Virtual Human Intervention to Encourage Service-Member Help-Seeking for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression
Abstract
As of December 31, 2012, more than 2.5 million service members had served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) (Defense Manpower Data Center, 2013). Compared with that in previous conflicts, service in OEF or OIF bears some unique characteristics, including longer deployments, more-frequent deployments, and shorter rest times between deployments (Belasco, 2011; Bruner, 2006; Serafino, 2005). National Guard and Reserve Component troops have also been called on to a greater extent than in past conflicts, with nearly one-third of deployed service members coming from Reserve Components or National Guard (Committee on the Initial Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families, 2010; Committee on the Assessment of the Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families, 2013). Service members are experiencing extreme traumas in these conflicts, including roadside bombs, suicide bombs, improvised explosive devices, handling of human remains, and extreme violence. Exposure to all of these types of trauma increases the risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression (Tanielian and Jaycox, 2008; Committee on the Initial Assessment of Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families, 2010; Committee on the Assessment of the Readjustment Needs of Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families, 2013).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA624253
Entities
People
- Daniella Meeker
- Deborah M. Scharf
- Jennifer L. Cerully
- Jeremy R. Kurz
- Megan D. Johnson
- Neema Lyer
Organizations
- RAND Corporation