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Mental health among a nationally representative sample of United States Military Reserve Component Personnel

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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Estimate prevalence of lifetime, current year, and current month depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among US military reservists.

Methods

Structured interviews were performed with a nationally representative military reserve sample (n = 2,003). Sociodemographic characteristics, military experiences, lifetime stressors, and psychiatric conditions were assessed. Depression was measured with the PHQ-9, and PTSD (deployment and non-deployment related) was assessed with the PCL-C.

Results

Depression (21.63 % lifetime, 14.31 % current year, and 5.99 % current month) was more common than either deployment-related PTSD (5.49 % lifetime, 4.98 % current year, and 3.62 % current month) or non-deployment-related PTSD (5.40 % lifetime, 3.91 % current year, and 2.32 % current month), and branch-related differences were found. Non-deployment-related trauma was associated with non-deployment-related PTSD and depression in a dose–response fashion; deployment-related trauma was associated with deployment-related PTSD and depression in a dose–response fashion.

Conclusions

The study reveals notable differences in PTSD and depression prevalence by service branch that may be attributable to a combination of factors including greater lifetime trauma exposures and differing operational military experiences. Our findings suggest that service branch and organizational differences are related to key protective and/or risk factors, which may prove useful in guiding prevention and treatment efforts among reservists.

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Conflict of interest

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA

    Dale W. Russell, Robert Gifford, Carol S. Fullerton & Robert J. Ursano

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street, Room 1508, New York, NY, 10032-3727, USA

    Gregory H. Cohen & Sandro Galea

Authors
  1. Dale W. Russell
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  2. Gregory H. Cohen
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  3. Robert Gifford
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  4. Carol S. Fullerton
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  5. Robert J. Ursano
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  6. Sandro Galea
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dale W. Russell.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 4, 5, 6.

Table 4 Comparison of selected characteristics of reserve population (2008) and study sample: component totals
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Table 5 Comparison of selected characteristics of reserve population (2008) and study sample: reserves by branch
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Table 6 Comparison of selected characteristics of reserve population (2008) and study sample: National Guard by branch
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Russell, D.W., Cohen, G.H., Gifford, R. et al. Mental health among a nationally representative sample of United States Military Reserve Component Personnel. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 50, 639–651 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0981-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-014-0981-2

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