Effects of Combat Deployment on Risky and Self-Destructive Behavior Among Active Duty Military Personnel

Effects of deployment on high-risk and self-destructive behaviors were examined. Active duty military personnel (N = 2,116) described their deployment experiences and their participation in risky recreational activities, unprotected sex, illegal drug use, self-injurious behavior, and suicide attempts during three time frames (civilian, military pre-deployment, and military post-deployment). Personnel that had not deployed, relative to those that had deployed, were more likely to report high-risk behavior as civilians, but not after entering the military. Deployment was associated with increases in risky recreational behavior, illegal drug use, and self-injurious behavior. However, this effect was restricted to personnel with a prior history of engaging in high-risk behavior; among those with no prior history, effects of deployment on high-risk behavior were negligible. Published in Journal of Psychiatric Research, v45 p1321-1331, 2011.