Preinjury Psychological Status, Injury Severity and Postdeployment Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

摘要

Objective: Conduct a prospective longitudinal analysis of the relationship between preinjury psychological status and postinjury psychological morbidity among US military personnel deployed to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Methods: Participants consisted of deployed Millennium Cohort members who completed baseline (2001-2003) and at least one follow-up (2004-2006, 2007-2009) questionnaire. Self-reported health information was used to prospectively examine the relationship between baseline and follow-up psychological status in injured and noninjured deployers. Results: The odds of increasing numbers of defined mental health disorders at follow-up were 8.27 (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.84-9.98) times greater in those with 2 or 3 defined baseline mental health disorders, and 4.91 (95% CI, 1.72- 14.00) times greater in those sustaining a severe injury. Conclusions: Baseline psychological status and deployment-related physical injuries are strongly associated with postdeployment mental health disorders.