title: Operational Stress and Correlates of Mental Health Among Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay Military Personnel.
abstract: Military personnel deployed to Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay (JTF-GTMO) faced numerous occupational stressors. As part of a program evaluation, personnel working at JTF-GTMO completed several validated self-report measures. Personnel were at the beginning, middle, or end of their deployment phase. This study presents data regarding symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, alcohol abuse, depression, and resilience among 498 U.S. military personnel deployed to JTF-GTMO in 2009. We also investigated individual and organizational correlates of mental health among these personnel. Findings indicated that tenure at JTF-GTMO was positively related to adverse mental health outcomes. Regression models including these variables had R2 values ranging from .02 to .11. Occupation at JTF-GTMO also related to mental health such that guards reported poorer mental health than medical staff. Reluctance to seek out mental health care was also related to mental health outcomes. Those who reported being most reluctant to seek out care tended to report poorer mental health than those who were more willing to seek out care. Results suggested that the JTF-GTMO deployment was associated with significant psychological stress, and that both job-related and attitude-related variables were important to understanding mental health symptoms in this sample.
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Webb-Murphy
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriel M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: De La Rosa
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Vishnyak
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Raducha
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Roesch
authors.affiliation: Naval Center for Combat and Operational Stress Control, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011330:Prisons / Q000458:organization & administration; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce; D055815:Young Adult