Sleep Disturbances in U.S. Soldiers after Deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq

Abstract

Introduction: Over one million U.S. military personnel have been deployed since 2001 in support of overseas operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The deployment environment is filled with uncertainty and a heightened sense of awareness for survival that may impact sleep quality. Research in deployed military personnel has focused on the prevalence of psychiatric problems, but few data are available on the extent of disturbed sleep that may place soldiers at risk both for psychiatric and physical morbidity. The frequency of sleep disturbances (SD) and associated factors in U. S. soldiers were assessed at two different time points after return from deployment. Method: A convenience sample of U.S. soldiers (n=278, ages 18-60 years) completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Post Deployment Health Assessment, perceived stress scale (PSS), and combat exposure scale immediately upon return from deployment (PD1) and 1.5 months later (PD2). Results: Approximately 76% of participants had a mean score of greater than 5 on PSQI at both time points, indicating a high prevalence of SD in soldiers after deployment. In PD1, the total variance explained by the hierarchical multiple regression was 41.1%, F(18, 202)=7.84, p less than .001 with PSS (beta =.28, p less than .001), symptoms of physical illness (PI) (beta =.24, p=.001), personal history (beta=.23, p less than .001), and rank (beta=.14- 18, ps less than .05) contributing significantly in the final model. In PD2, the total variance was 48.4%, F(18, 119)=8.14, p less than .001 with PSTD (beta= 30, p less than .01), rank (beta=.21-.22, ps less than .05), and personal history of SD (beta=.20, p greater than .01) contributing significantly in the final model. Conclusion: Deployed soldiers have a high prevalence of SD. Significant predictors at both time points include rank and a personal history of SD.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 11, 2010
Accession Number
ADA630631

Entities

People

  • Betty K. Garner

Organizations

  • Geneva Foundation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Army Personnel
  • Brain Injuries
  • Health Services
  • Iraqi-War
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • Pain
  • Psychiatry
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Analytical Mechanics
  • Exercise and Sports Science.
  • Trauma or Military Medicine