Utilization of Behavioral Health Services by United States Army Medics

This study assesses potentially traumatic combat and medical provider experiences and subsequent utilization of behavioral health (BH) services among 324 U.S. Army medics 3 months after military deployment. After statistically controlling for socially desirable responding, neither combat nor medical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMilitary behavioral health Vol. 5; no. 3; pp. 208 - 217
Main Authors Pitts, Barbara L., Safer, Martin A., Castro-Chapman, Paula L., Russell, Dale W.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Routledge 03.07.2017
Subjects
behavioral healthcare
combat
hardiness
medics
PTSD
social support
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Summary:This study assesses potentially traumatic combat and medical provider experiences and subsequent utilization of behavioral health (BH) services among 324 U.S. Army medics 3 months after military deployment. After statistically controlling for socially desirable responding, neither combat nor medical provider experiences directly predicted utilization of BH services; however, both predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms, which predicted BH utilization. Moderation analyses revealed that medics were less likely to utilize BH services after intense battle experiences if they reported a low hardy personality, low unit support, or insufficient sleep. Possible interventions are discussed to promote BH care utilization.
ISSN:2163-5781
2163-5803
DOI:10.1080/21635781.2016.1272024