Civilian Unemployment and Mental Health: The Moderating Impact of Alcohol Misuse in Returning National Guard

ObjectiveDetermining the prevalence of mental health symptoms (MHS) among Australian professional footballers compared with former players. A secondary aim was to assess whether MHS were associated with recent injury and psychological resilience.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 149 male (mean age: 24 years) and 132 female (mean age: 23 years) Australian A-League and W-League professional footballers (study group) and 81 former male footballers (control group, mean age: 39 years) for analysis. MHS and psychological resilience were assessed through validated questionnaires. Severe injuries were assessed through a single question. The adjusted Wald method was used to assess the primary aim. Logistic regression analyses was used to assess the secondary aim.ResultsThe most prevalent MHS among active footballers and former footballers was sport-related psychological distress (63%) and alcohol misuse (69%), respectively. Global psychological distress, sleep disturbance, alcohol misuse and substance misuse were significantly lower among active male footballers than among former players. Increased psychological resilience among active male footballers was associated with a decrease in symptoms of sport-related and global psychological distress, anxiety and depression of 9%, 14%, 23% and 20%, respectively. Increased psychological resilience among female players was associated with 10% decrease in symptoms of depression. Problem gambling and sleep disturbance was associated with injury in the previous 6 months among active male and female footballers, respectively.ConclusionsMHS are prevalent among active and former professional footballers. Higher level of psychological resilience is associated with decreased reporting of MHS. Severe injury is associated with problem gambling and sleep disturbance.

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2108 Factors associated with dual use of VA and civilian healthcare among U.S. National Guard and Reserve soldiers

Journal of Clinical and Translational Science ◽

10.1017/cts.2018.285 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 (S1) ◽

pp. 82-82

Author(s):

Bonnie M. Vest ◽

Jessica A. Kulak ◽

D. Lynn Homish ◽

Gregory G. Homish

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

General Health ◽

National Guard ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Health Anxiety ◽

Dual Use ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Electronic Survey ◽

Future Care ◽

Disability Rating

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Approximately 25%–45% of veterans are dual users of VA and civilian healthcare. In order to maximize patient outcomes, understanding factors related to dual use is important. This study examined mental and physical health factors related to dual use of VA and civilian healthcare among U.S. National Guard and Reserve (NG/R) soldiers. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: NG/R soldiers and their partners (n=411 couples) participated in an electronic survey assessing health and health behaviors. Logistic regression models were used to examine the relationship between mental health (anxiety, depression, PTSD, anger), general health, and VA disability status at baseline, with usage of both VA and civilian healthcare among male soldiers (n=109) at the second year follow-up, controlling for age and race. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: In the final adjusted models, of the mental health conditions, only anxiety was related to dual use (OR: 1.08, 1.01–1.16, p<0.05). Having a VA disability rating (OR: 4.00, 1.22–13.18; p<0.05) was also related to being a dual user. General health was not related to dual use. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: While research has identified demographic characteristics (e.g., rurality, race, income) related to dual healthcare use, our results indicate that mental health, particularly anxiety, may also be related to dual use. Further study is needed to tease out the prime drivers of dual use to identify future care delivery mechanisms that will maximize treatment outcomes and minimize duplicative care.

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Association of Spirituality With Mental Health Conditions in Ohio National Guard Soldiers

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease ◽

10.1097/nmd.0000000000000519 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 204 (7) ◽

pp. 524-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Stephen J. Ganocy ◽

Toyomi Goto ◽

Philip K. Chan ◽

Gregory H. Cohen ◽

Laura Sampson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

National Guard ◽

Health Conditions ◽

Mental Health Conditions

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Mental health disorders and alcohol misuse among UK military veterans and the general population: a comparison study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720001944 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Rebecca Rhead ◽

Deirdre MacManus ◽

Margaret Jones ◽

Neil Greenberg ◽

Nicola T Fear ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

General Population ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Alcohol Misuse ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Psychiatric Morbidity ◽

Military Health ◽

Male Veterans ◽

Increased Risk

Abstract Background For a small minority of personnel, military service can have a negative impact on their mental health. Yet no studies have assessed how the mental health of UK veterans (who served during the recent operations in Afghanistan or Iraq) compares to non-veterans, to determine if they are at a disadvantage. We examine the prevalence of mental disorders and alcohol misuse in UK veterans compared to non-veterans. Methods Veteran data were taken from the third phase of the King's Centre for Military Health Research cohort study (n = 2917). These data were compared with data on non-veterans taken from two large general population surveys: 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (n = 5871) and wave 6 of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS, n = 22 760). Results We found that, overall, UK veterans who served at the time of recent military operations were more likely to report a significantly higher prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD) (23% v. 16%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (8% v. 5%) and alcohol misuse (11% v. 6%) than non-veterans. Stratifying by gender showed that the negative impact of being a veteran on mental health and alcohol misuse was restricted to male veterans. Being ill or disabled was associated with a higher prevalence of CMD and PTSD for both veterans and non-veterans. Conclusion Whilst the same sociodemographic groups within the veteran and non-veteran populations seemed to have an increased risk of mental health problems (e.g. those who were unemployed), male veterans, in particular, appear to be at a distinct disadvantage compared to those who have never served.

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