Mental Health Impact of Homecoming Experience Among 1730 Formerly Deployed Veterans From the Vietnam War to Current Conflicts Results From the Veteransʼ Health Study

• Published in: The journal of nervous and mental disease Vol. 206; no. 10; pp. 757 - 764
• Main Authors: Boscarino, Joseph A, Adams, Richard E, Urosevich, Thomas G, Hoffman, Stuart N, Kirchner, H Lester, Boscarino, Joseph J, Withey, Carrie A, Dugan, Ryan J, Figley, Charles R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Copyright Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved 01-10-2018; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Subjects: Mental depression; Mental health; Original; Post traumatic stress disorder; Regression analysis; Suicides & suicide attempts; Veterans; Vietnam; Afghanistan; Iraq
• ISSN: 0022-3018; 1539-736X
• DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000000879

ABSTRACTWe examined the effects of homecoming support on current mental health among 1730 deployed veterans from Vietnam, Iraq/Afghanistan, Persian Gulf, and other conflicts. The prevalence of current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was 5.4%, current depression was 8.3%, and 5.4% had suicidal thoughts in the past month. Overall, 26% of veterans had low homecoming support, which was more prevalent among Vietnam veterans (44.3%, p < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regressions, controlling for demographics, combat exposure, number of deployments, trauma history, and operational theater, low postdeployment support was associated with PTSD (odds ratio, 2.13; p = 0.032) and suicidality (odds ratio, 1.91; p < 0.030), but not depression. For suicidality, an interaction was detected for homecoming by theater status, whereby Iraq/Afghanistan veterans with lower homecoming support had a higher probability of suicidal thoughts (p = 0.002). Thus, years after deployment, lower homecoming support was associated with current PTSD and suicidality, regardless of theater and warzone exposures. For suicidality, lower support had a greater impact on Iraq/Afghanistan veterans.