Rights statement: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/abs/mental-health-disorders-and-alcohol-misuse-among-uk-military-veterans-and-the-general-population-a-comparison-study/A7A8AAF182C7AA8B228A340666A1DDE6 The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Psychological Medicine, 52 (2), pp 292-302 2022, © 2022 Cambridge University Press.
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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental health disorders and alcohol misuse among UK military veterans and the general population
T2 - a comparison study
AU - Rhead, R
AU - MacManus, D
AU - Jones, M
AU - Greenberg, N
AU - Fear, NT
AU - Goodwin, L
N1 - https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/abs/mental-health-disorders-and-alcohol-misuse-among-uk-military-veterans-and-the-general-population-a-comparison-study/A7A8AAF182C7AA8B228A340666A1DDE6 The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Psychological Medicine, 52 (2), pp 292-302 2022, © 2022 Cambridge University Press.
PY - 2022/1/31
Y1 - 2022/1/31
N2 - BackgroundFor 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.MethodsVeteran 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).ResultsWe 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.ConclusionWhilst 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.
AB - BackgroundFor 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.MethodsVeteran 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).ResultsWe 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.ConclusionWhilst 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.
U2 - 10.1017/s0033291720001944
DO - 10.1017/s0033291720001944
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 32777197
VL - 52
SP - 292
EP - 302
JO - Psychological Medicine
JF - Psychological Medicine
SN - 0033-2917
IS - 2
ER -