TY - JOUR
T1 - Mental Health Service Use amongst Veterans in a Peer-Mentor Intervention
T2 - An Analysis of Barriers to Treatment
AU - Dichiara, Ariana
AU - Brandwein, David
AU - Marks, Donald R.
AU - Edwards, Emily
AU - Geraci, Joseph C.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
©, This work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 USC. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under US Law.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Many returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans may benefit from psychological services as recent estimates suggest high rates of suicide, trauma, and psychopathology within this population. However, only a small portion of veterans ever seek mental health services, presumably due to various barriers to treatment. A better understanding of barriers to treatment may ensure that these populations seek the services they require. Data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a peer-mentor program was examined to assess the extent to which common barriers to treatment precluded veterans from requesting medical or mental health assistance. The relationship between elevated scores on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol misuse measures was examined as they relate to veterans’ choices to seek assistance with health care, along with score profiles on a variety of measures (including quality of life, somatization, combat exposure, and demographic variables). Results indicated that having PTSD was a significant predictor of health service seeking, although this relationship was no longer significant once quality of life was added into analyses. Alcohol misuse and combat exposure were not significantly predictive of seeking health services, while elevated somatic symptoms were. Cumulative disadvantage theory is used to explore these findings and treatment implications.
AB - Many returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans may benefit from psychological services as recent estimates suggest high rates of suicide, trauma, and psychopathology within this population. However, only a small portion of veterans ever seek mental health services, presumably due to various barriers to treatment. A better understanding of barriers to treatment may ensure that these populations seek the services they require. Data from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a peer-mentor program was examined to assess the extent to which common barriers to treatment precluded veterans from requesting medical or mental health assistance. The relationship between elevated scores on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol misuse measures was examined as they relate to veterans’ choices to seek assistance with health care, along with score profiles on a variety of measures (including quality of life, somatization, combat exposure, and demographic variables). Results indicated that having PTSD was a significant predictor of health service seeking, although this relationship was no longer significant once quality of life was added into analyses. Alcohol misuse and combat exposure were not significantly predictive of seeking health services, while elevated somatic symptoms were. Cumulative disadvantage theory is used to explore these findings and treatment implications.
KW - barriers to treatment
KW - cumulative disadvantage theory
KW - mental health
KW - PTSD
KW - quality of life
KW - somatization
KW - transition stressors
KW - treatment-seeking
KW - Veterans
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112123083&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/21635781.2021.1888827
DO - 10.1080/21635781.2021.1888827
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85112123083
SN - 2163-5781
VL - 9
SP - 335
EP - 344
JO - Military Behavioral Health
JF - Military Behavioral Health
IS - 3
ER -