RESUMEN
The Department of Defense has mandated combat and operational stress control (COSC) efforts for the Services since 1999. Although several COSC-related programs have been implemented, few have undergone evaluation, and no standardized metrics have been established to assess their effectiveness and utility. The purpose of this review was to characterize the content and psychometrics of measures that have been utilized as outcome metrics in evaluations of COSC-related programs and interventions. Systematic literature searches were conducted for publications that: a) evaluated at least one measure from U.S. service members who participated in a program or intervention to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of combat and operational stress; and b) reported U.S. data on the internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and sensitivity/specificity of the identified measures. This process identified 15 measures for which psychometric properties were reviewed for acceptability based on recommended criteria. Identified measures varied from well-validated measures to newer instruments for which more data is needed on one or more of the target psychometric properties. Aside from internal consistency, psychometric data from U.S. military samples were sparse. Results further suggested that some measures might have reduced sensitivity in service members under certain conditions, such as large-scale screening. Additional studies are needed to validate COSC-relevant measures in service members. Future evaluations of programs and interventions for combat and operational stress should select measures that will increase the consistency of the literature, allow comparisons across studies, and ensure alignment with the objectives of identified programs.
Asunto(s)
Personal Militar , Psicometría , Psicometría/métodos , Humanos , Personal Militar/psicología , Estados Unidos , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Estrés Psicológico/terapia , Evaluación de Programas y Proyectos de Salud , Evaluación de Resultado en la Atención de Salud , Trastornos de Combate/terapia , Trastornos de Combate/psicología , Estrés Laboral/prevención & control , Estrés Laboral/terapiaRESUMEN
In the present study, we examined administrative data on 667,437 deployments of at least 30 days duration to Iraq and Afghanistan from 2011 through the end of 2016 to determine risk factors for evacuation from the combat zone for behavioral health reasons. Demographic data, military-specific data, responses on predeployment mental health assessments, and presence of previous treatment for psychiatric conditions were entered into a logistic regression based on expert determination, distinguishing the 2,133 behavioral health evacuations from those deployments that either did not end in evacuation or included evacuations for reasons other than behavioral health. The model, derived from a random half of the sample (training set), was verified on the other half (validation set). Predictor variables used in the model were calendar year; gender; age; rank; marital status; parental status; number of prior war zone deployments; branch of service; screens for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and hazardous alcohol use on the predeployment mental health assessment; and prior substance- and non-substance-related behavioral health diagnoses. Odds ratios (range: 1.05-3.85) for selected variables that contributed to the model were used to assign risk scores in the Behavioral Health Evacuation Risk Tool, which can aid predicting which service members are more likely to be evacuated from combat for behavioral health reasons, thus indicating where resources can be allocated for behavioral health referrals and war zone care.
Asunto(s)
Tamizaje Masivo/métodos , Trastornos Mentales/diagnóstico , Personal Militar/psicología , Psiquiatría Militar/métodos , Adulto , Campaña Afgana 2001- , Femenino , Humanos , Guerra de Irak 2003-2011 , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Personal Militar/estadística & datos numéricos , Medición de Riesgo , Factores de Riesgo , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of patient-centered communication training for military providers who conduct post-deployment health screening. The half-day interactive workshop included simulated Soldier patients using video technology. METHODS: Using a quasi-experimental design, all health care providers at four military treatment facilities were recruited for data collection during a four- to nine-day site visit (23 trained providers, 28 providers in the control group, and one provider declined to participate). All Soldiers were eligible to participate and were blinded to provider training status. Immediately after screening encounters, providers reported on their identification of mental health concerns and Soldiers reported on provider communication behaviors resulting in 1,400 matched pairs. Electronic health records were also available for 26,005 Soldiers. RESULTS: The workshop was found to increase (1) providers' patient-centered communication behaviors as evaluated by Soldiers; (2) provider identification of Soldier mental health concerns; and (3), related health outcomes including provision of education and referral to a confidential counseling resource. CONCLUSION: Results are promising, but with small effect sizes and study limitations, further research is warranted. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: A brief intensive workshop on patient-centered communication tailored to the military screening context is feasible and may improve key outcomes.
Asunto(s)
Comunicación , Personal Militar/psicología , Atención Dirigida al Paciente , Relaciones Médico-Paciente , Adulto , Competencia Clínica , Educación Médica Continua/métodos , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Salud Mental , Persona de Mediana Edad , Simulación de Paciente , Atención Primaria de Salud/organización & administraciónRESUMEN
Previous studies have found deployment to combat areas to be associated with an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and alcohol abuse, but many previous studies were limited by samples that were not representative of the deployed military as a whole. This study presents an overview of these three mental health problems associated with deployment among Air Force, Army, Marine Corp, and Navy service members returning from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan between January 2007 and March 2008. With postdeployment health data on over 50,000 service men and women, including diagnostic information, we were able to estimate prevalence of those who screened positive for risk of each disorder in self-report data at two time points, as well as prevalence of diagnoses received during health care encounters within the military health care system. The prevalence ranges of the three disorders were consistent with previous studies using similar measures, but service members in the Navy had higher rates of screening positive for all three disorders and higher prevalence of depression and PTSD diagnoses compared to the other branches. Further, PTSD risk was higher for service members returning from Afghanistan compared to Iraq, in contrast to previous findings.