title: Mental health in deployed and nondeployed veteran men and women in comparison with their civilian counterparts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the mental health of deployed and nondeployed veterans compared with civilians, exploring gender differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  We sampled 41,903 respondents from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Respondents self-reported how many of the previous 30 days mental health was not good; 14 days or more indicated adverse mental health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women exhibited greater prevalence of adverse mental health than men among civilians (odds ratio [OR] = 1.783 (1.653, 1.924), p < 0.001), deployed veterans [OR = 1.879 (1.019, 3.467), p = 0.043], and nondeployed veterans [OR = 2.621 (1.796, 3.825), p < 0.001]. Compared with civilian status, deployed status was associated with adverse mental health for men [OR = 1.361 (1.055, 1.755), p = 0.018] and possibly women [OR = 1.521 (0.930, 2.487), p = 0.095]. Compared with civilian status, nondeployed status was associated with adverse mental health for women [OR = 1.525 (1.152, 2.018), p = 0.003], but not for men [OR = 1.169 (0.943, 1.448), p = 0.155]. We controlled for age, general health, employment status, marital status, education, race/ethnicity, and state of residence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adverse mental health affects male and female combat veterans, as well as women in noncombat military occupations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Box 67, 450 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203.
authors.forename: Mark W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Hoglund
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, North Shore-LIJ Health System, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine, 175 Community Drive, 2nd Floor, Great Neck, NY 11021.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Schwartz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D040343:Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*