Twelve Month Use of Mental Health Services in a Nationally Representative, Active Military Sample

BACKGROUND: Mental disorders constitute a significant public health problem in active military populations. However, very little is known about patterns of mental health service use in these populations. OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this study was to examine the patterns and predictors of mental health service use in active Canadian Force members. Additional objectives included identification of barriers to service use. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey-Canadian Forces Supplement. SUBJECTS AND MEASURES: Participants were assessed for mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders using the World Health Organization's Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Those who met criteria for at least 1 disorder in the past year (n = 1220) were included in the analyses. RESULTS: Of military members with a 12-month diagnosis, 42.6% used services in the past year. Predictors of service use included mental health indicators, gender, marital status, and military rank. Of military members who failed to use services, only a small percentage (3.5-16.0%) acknowledged a need for services. These members perceived a number of barriers to services, foremost among which was lack of trust in military health, administrative, and social services. CONCLUSIONS: Despite recent efforts to de-stigmatize mental health problems and treatments, unmet need for mental health services remains a significant problem in active militaries. Our findings indicate that military institutions should continue public education campaigns to de-stigmatize mental health problems and should make necessary changes in health delivery systems to gain the trust of military members

Anxiety · Environmental health · Marital status · Mental health · Military personnel · Military service · Political science · Population · Psychiatry · Public health · Medicine · Mental Health Treatment and Access · Migration, Health and Trauma · Nursing · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Gerontology

• Stigma as a Barrier to Seeking Health Care Among Military Personnel With Mental Health Problems

  Marie‐louise Sharp, M-L Sharp et al.•Epidemiologic Reviews•2015

  Incluir item

• Forty years after Alma-Ata

  Open Access•Homayoun Sadeghi Bazargani, Mohammad Saadati et al.•BMC Public Health•2020

  Incluir item

• Health Dynamics of Military and Veteran Couples

  Open Access•Melissa Lewis, Angela L Lamson et al.•Contemporary Family Therapy•2012

  Incluir item

• Patterns and Predictors of Treatment Delay for Mental Disorders in a Nationally Representative, Active Canadian Military Sample

  Deniz Fikretoglu, Aihua Liu et al.•Medical Care•2010

  Incluir item

• When Health Is an Attitudinal Matter

  Open Access•Sabrina Cipolletta, Federica Consolaro et al.•Journal of Humanistic Psychology•2013

  Incluir item

• From Trauma to PTSD

  Open Access•Michele R Spoont, Michele Spoont et al.•Qualitative Health Research•2009

  Incluir item

• An Introduction to the Bootstrap

  Bradley Efron, Robert Tibshirani et al.•Introduction to the Bootstrap•1994

  Incluir item

• Applied Logistic Regression

  David W Hosmer, Stanley Lemeshow•Applied logistic regression•2000

  Incluir item

• Mental Health Problems, Use of Mental Health Services, and Attrition From Military Service After Returning From Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan

  Charles W Hoge, Jennifer L Auchterlonie et al.•JAMA•2006

  Incluir item

• Twelve-Month Use of Mental Health Services in the United States

  Philip S Wang, Mike Lane et al.•Archives of General Psychiatry•2005

  Incluir item

• Combat Duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mental Health Problems, and Barriers to Care

  Charles W Hoge, Carl A Castro et al.•New England Journal of Medicine•2004

  Incluir item

• Empirically Supported Psychological Interventions

  Dianne L Chambless, Thomas Ollendick et al.•Annual Review of Psychology•2001

  Incluir item

• Perceived Need and Help-Seeking in Adults With Mood, Anxiety, or Substance Use Disorders

  Ramin Mojtabai, Mark Olfson et al.•Archives of General Psychiatry•2002

  Incluir item

• Contact With Health Professionals for the Treatment of Psychiatric and Emotional Problems

  Philip J Leaf, Martha M Livingston et al.•Medical Care•1985

  Incluir item

• Revisiting the Behavioral Model and Access to Medical Care

  Ronald Andersen, Ronald M Andersen•Journal of Health and Social…•1995

  Incluir item