Academic Publication of KCMHR Fourth Phase of Serving And Ex-Serving Personnel Health And Wellbeing Cohort Study Findings
We are very pleased to share the academic paper from the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine (BMJ) regarding the Fourth Phase of the KCMHR Health and Wellbeing Cohort Study. This paper assesses adverse mental health and alcohol misuse outcomes of UK Armed Forces (serving and ex-serving personnel), who served during the era of Iraq and Afghanistan deployments.
Please find the link to the full academic paper here.
We would also like to mark a tribute to Professor Nicola T Fear (CBE) who sadly passed away during the final stages of this paper publication. Her contribution to this Phase of the study was unmatched and the legacy of her work continues to improve evidence that will support the Armed Forces community for decades to come. We acknowledge and commend her significant leading contribution to all phases of the KCMHR cohort study and to the field of Armed Forces military health research.
We summarise the main findings below from this work and provide further links to associated blogs, videos and reports.
WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ON THIS TOPIC
From 2004–2016 UK serving and ex-serving personnel who served during the Iraq/Afghanistan era of conflicts most commonly reported Common Mental Disorders (CMD), such as anxiety and depression (20%–22%), followed by alcohol misuse (10%–15%), and probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (4%–6%). Deployment to Iraq/Afghanistan in a combat role was associated with significantly worse mental health outcomes and alcohol misuse in ex-serving Regular personnel but not in currently serving Regular personnel.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS
The most prevalent condition reported remains CMD (27.8%), now followed by probable PTSD (9.4%) and then alcohol misuse (8.4%). The study now finds an increased risk of PTSD in both serving and ex-serving personnel who deployed in a combat role to Iraq/Afghanistan. The study reports on novel complex PTSD (C-PTSD) data, where the majority of PTSD experienced met the criteria for C-PTSD.
HOW THIS STUDY MIGHT AFFECT RESEARCH, PRACTICE OR POLICY
The study suggests there is an enduring impact of deploying in a combat role on the prevalence of PTSD. For organisations treating this cohort, the likely burden of this condition may present as C-PTSD which has implications for treatment approaches. As there are relative increases in CMD and PTSD, support services may see increased numbers of individuals accessing their services.
If you'd like to engage with our previous posts on this work:
Link to the KCMHR report for the Office for Veterans' Affairs