Belinda Weimer

Longitudinal study of resilience and mental health in marines leaving military service

BACKGROUND Despite a growing emphasis on psychological outcomes following military combat, few longitudinal studies have examined the combined role of risk and protective factors in the mental health of combat-exposed military personnel. This study characterizes the impact of resilience scale scores and combat exposure on mental health outcomes among Marines after separating from military service, along with intra-individual changes in mental health status. METHODS Data were collected from longitudinal surveys of 475 active duty Marines attending a random sample of mandatory Transition Assistance Program workshops before leaving the military and responding to follow-up mail or web surveys an average of 6 months after returning to civilian life. RESULTS Results revealed distinct risk and protective factors for those meeting screening criteria for mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and PTSD) and functional impairment at follow-up. Primary risk factors included experiencing higher levels of pre-separation combat exposure; post-separation stress across multiple life domains; and experiencing multiple areas of pain post-separation. Protective factors include having higher scores on pre-separation resilience and perceived social support at follow-up indices. We also identified a number of factors associated with change in mental health status from baseline to follow-up. LIMITATIONS Generality is limited by a lower than expected follow-up response rate and an exclusively Marine sample. CONCLUSION The role of resilience appeared to have a greater impact on functional impairment than on mental health symptoms per se. Findings provide important input for enhancing training programs and services intended to promote adjustment from military to civilian life. Additional emphasis on social support and coping with stress-related issues are needed in support of combat veterans.

Influence of Spirituality on Depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Suicidality in Active Duty Military Personnel

Understanding the role of spirituality as a potential coping mechanism for military personnel is important given growing concern about the mental health issues of personnel returning from war. This study seeks to determine the extent to which spirituality is associated with selected mental health problems among active duty military personnel and whether it moderates the relationship between combat exposure/deployment and (a) depression, (b) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (c) suicidality in active duty military personnel. Data were drawn from the 2008 Department of Defense Survey of Health Related Behaviors Among Active Duty Military Personnel. Over 24,000 randomly selected active duty personnel worldwide completed an anonymous self-report questionnaire. High spirituality had a significant protective effect only for depression symptoms. Medium, as opposed to high or low, levels of spirituality buffered each of the mental health outcomes to some degree. Medium and low spirituality levels predicted depression symptoms but only among those with moderate combat exposure. Medium spirituality levels also predicted PTSD symptoms among those with moderate levels of combat exposure and predicted self-reported suicidal ideation/attempt among those never deployed. These results point to the complex relationship between spirituality and mental health, particularly among military personnel and the need for further research.

Using social indicators to estimate county-level substance use intervention and treatment needs.

This study describes the development of a model for estimating county-level substance use intervention and treatment needs using social indicators. Forty-five indicators conceptually related to substance misuse were reduced through factor analysis. Logistic regression models were then developed using selected indicators to predict service needs. The following variables were significant predictors of substance use intervention and treatment needs: the percent of the population who is male aged 15 to 34, urbanicity, and population density. The results suggest that substance misuse may be successfully modeled by a few easy to obtain and reliably measured variables describing the population characteristics of local communities.