(Mental Health Problems, Use of Mental Health Services, and Attrition from Military Service After Returning From Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan)
Introduction
The article “Mental Health Problems, Use of Mental Health Services, and Attrition from Military Service after Returning from Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan” is authored by Charles W. Hoge, Jennifer L. Auchterlonie, and Charles S. Milliken. The context of the research article is that the military of the United States has carried out a population-level screening from mental health problems among the service members who return from deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan among other areas.
The objective of the research is to determine the relationship between the deployment of the military men and the mental health care that they receive during the first year of return. Also, the research aims at measuring the lessons that result from the efforts of post-deployment mental health screening as well as its relationship with the actual applications for mental health services. The author applies a population-based descriptive study of the soldiers who completed the common post deployment health assessment in Afghanistan, Iraq and other areas. The main outcome measures were positive results for posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, or any other mental health problem.
In the research, the authors do not provide a literature review. Although, there are topics on mental health for the military service men, very few authors have had content that would match what is in this article. The authors choose a technique that lands them into primary data, which is obtained directly from the military officers who return from deployment assignments. They do not emphasize on secondary data, which may not have been highly significant in answering the objectives of the research. However, there are points in the analysis where the authors seem to borrow from the previous analyses on mental health.
The research is current and highly relevant to the existing health issues. There are a number of studies that have been brought up concerning mental health. The subject is common since the cases of mental illnesses have continued to rise. Also, there are increased cases of mental illnesses among the military officers following incidences of suicide among the combat members. Hospitals and mental health clinics have continued to record high number of mentally ill patients. Mental illnesses have become common and the article seeks to monitor one of the major concerns regarding mental health care.
The non-experimental research method is evidently used in the research article. The research method is significant to the study as it does not offer room for manipulation. The variables are significantly settled to ensure there are no chances to manipulate the cases of mental illnesses as witnessed among people. Non-experimental research is evidently significant since the number of military officers deployed to certain areas cannot be manipulated and affected negatively. The subject of study ensures there are unique considerations for the variables and there are no negative elements defined in the study through the influence of the researchers. Non-experimental research would have been the most definite for the sample size that has been used in this research.
The research population was based on 303905 Army soldiers as well as marines who had been deployed for various military assignments between 1st May, 2003 and 30th April, 2004. The military officers from were from Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo among other locations (Hoge et al, 2006). Choosing a sample of the population to be the army and marine personnel gives the research significance in identifying the connection between the military duties mental illnesses. In the population, 280907 are military officers who had served for approximately 11 months on average. Out of the total population, 50611 of the samples had left military service one year before (Hoge et al, 2006). Based on the objectives of the study, the sample was the most appropriate as it defined relevance to the subject of study. The demographics of the research are reasonable based on the population since it focuses on the military officers who were mainly affected by the mental illnesses at the time. The coverage on the cases of mental illnesses is highly recognized following its sensitivity to the relevance of the subject of study.
The results of the article are highly relevant following the significance of the data it poses. It gives relevance to the data as well as information regarding the significance of undergoing mental health treatment after deployment. The results indicate that a number of the military men seek medical interventions, which have saved them the agony of mental illnesses. Only small percentages of the deployed individuals show complications connected to mental illnesses. For example, 19.1% of the service members in Iraq, 11.3% from Afghanistan, and 8.5% from other locations showed mental health problems after returning from the war (Hoge et al, 2006). The article has a conclusion that the demand for mental health services for the service men who had been deployed to different areas was extremely high. The screening for the officers or service men is highly relevant in ensuring the individuals remain mentally healthy.
The results suggest the need for improved health care or execution of mental health care among the military officers to maintain their stable mental status. It suggests for the availability of various resources that would be relevant in the execution of the necessary health care for mentally ill patients. It is true that the necessary resources to support the mental health should be offered or distributed accordingly to the military service men who are involved in torturous activities that may affect their brains and overall mental health.
Although, the study has managed to achieve the objectives of the authors, it could be wise to have some improvements vested on the study. The first recommendation would be the use of literature review. There are various authors who have thought of the mental illnesses and they have various ideas on how certain matters concerning the mental wellness of the military officers should be maintained. Different articles could serve a major purpose in bringing more understanding and knowledge to this topic. Therefore, bringing these pieces together to define significance for the study would be a reasonable move to make this research more relevant and applicable in different fields.
The writing of the article is clearly straightforward. It manages to handle the specific topic exceedingly well without ignorance for the major elements involved therein. The element on the military officers is treated with a keenness and concern that it deserves since it shows relevance to the objectives of the research. It covers critical areas in which the military combat had been deployed to end the war that was being experienced. As such, the article managed to blend exceedingly well the issue of the deployment of the military service men and their mental health care.
The article is also relevant in showing the sensitivity of the mental illnesses and the concern that the medical fraternity has to control the increasing rates of the mentally ill individuals. The article is straightforward in its research techniques since it employs certain data to convince the reader of the relevance of the topic.
Further research on this article may be carried out. The research would define the relevance of the study by engaging a number of new variables. Following the sensitivity of the mental illnesses topic, the researchers should take the research beyond the military officers. Instead, research should be launched on the general effect of mental illnesses amongst people in the United States. There are a number of cases where individuals have been pronounced to have mental problems but proper analysis of the cause of the illness has not been established. As such, the article may have tried to combine a number of cases of mental illnesses in the society and try to verify why such cases exist and what could be done to control the increasing levels of mental illnesses in the modern society.
Conclusion
Reference
Hoge, C., Auchterlonie, J., & Milliken, C. (2006). Mental Health Problems, Use of Mental Health Services, and Attrition From Military Service After Returning From Deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. JAMA, 295(9), 10-23.
