The health of UK civilians deployed to Iraq.

Background: Modern military operations have incorporated deployed civilians in a variety of roles (e.g. diplomats, private security staff). Many of these roles expose individuals to potentially dangerous or traumatic events. Evidence has shown that such exposures can cause psychological health problems in military personnel. It is likely that the same would be seen among civilians working in such environments. There is however limited research into the health of civilians deployed to war zones. This study compared health outcomes and related behaviours among UK regular and reserve Army personnel with UK civilian personnel deployed in direct support of the UK military in Iraq. Methods: The study sample comprised of 159 Ministry of Defence civilians, 1542 Army regulars and 408 Army reservists, all of whom served in non-combat roles. Data were gathered by questionnaires which asked about deployment experiences, lifestyle factors and health outcomes [i.e. post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), general health, multiple physical symptoms and alcohol use]. Results: Fewer deployed UK civilians smoked than regular Army personnel (adjusted OR 0.83 95% CI 0.70-0.98). UK civilians had better overall health and were less likely to report multiple physical symptoms compared with reservists (adjusted ORs 0.64 95% CI 0.44-0.93 and 0.60 95% CI 0.39-0.93, respectively). Conclusions: Overall, the psychological health of deployed civilians appears to be better than that of Army personnel deployed in non-combat roles. Civilians are also less likely to engage in some risky behaviours.

What are the psychological effects of delivering and receiving "high-risk" survival resistance training?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the possible mental health impact of resistance training on UK Armed Forces personnel undergoing training and the psychological effects of delivering such training. METHOD: British Military personnel (n = 42) completed a battery of self-report measures on anxiety, general mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, resiliency and training outcomes 1 month before, on the first and last day of the course and at 1-month follow-up. Resistance Instructors (RIs) (n = 40) completed a battery of self-report measures on anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol use, sleep, burnout, leadership, and morale. RESULTS: Although student self-ratings of resiliency did not change, they reported significant improvements in their ability to use strategies to cope with captivity. There was no significant increase in anxiety between precourse and follow-up. Post-traumatic stress intrusive symptoms were elevated at 1-month postcourse but remained low. Prevalence rates of psychological distress among RIs were elevated compared to U.K. military personnel but views of professional efficacy, unit leadership and morale were broadly positive. CONCLUSION: Resistance training demonstrates some benefit to students but was associated with increase in traumatic stress symptoms at follow-up, whereas the mental health of RI appears modestly worse than the rest of the Armed Forces population.