OBJECTIVE: Combat exposure can increase the risk of subsequent psychological ill-health in @entity1345 ( @entity1345 ) personnel. A U.S. postdeployment psycho-educational intervention, Battlemind, showed a beneficial effect on mental health in U.S. military personnel exposed to high combat levels. We evaluated the effectiveness of an anglicized version of postdeployment Battlemind. METHOD: Battlemind was adapted for the United Kingdom. The main amendments were to sections about carrying weapons, driving, and @entity167 misuse. The anglicized Battlemind was compared with the U.K. standard postdeployment brief in a cluster randomized controlled trial. At baseline, 2,443 U.K. @entity1345 personnel returning from Afghanistan via Cyprus completed questionnaires about their combat experiences and mental health. Of these, 1,616 (66%) completed 6-month follow-up questionnaires. We used the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-C) to measure probable @entity1005 and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to measure common @entity146 . Secondary outcomes included @entity167 misuse, assessed with the @entity167 Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and binge drinking. Mixed-effects models were used to account for possible cluster effects. RESULTS: We did not find a difference in mental health or overall AUDIT score. Those who received Battlemind versus the standard brief were less likely to report binge drinking, although the effect size was small (adjusted odds ratio = 0.73, 95% CI [0.58, 0.92]). CONCLUSIONS: The anglicized Battlemind did not improve mental health but had a modest impact on the reporting of binge drinking. @entity167 misuse is problematic in military populations; therefore, an intervention that reduces binge drinking may be helpful.

Postdeployment Battlemind training for the U.K. XXXX : a cluster randomized controlled trial.

@entity167 :: ('CHEBI:16236', 'Chemical') :: ['alcohol', 'Alcohol'] @entity146 :: ('MESH:D001523', 'Disease') :: ['mental disorders'] @entity1005 :: ('MESH:D013313', 'Disease') :: ['posttraumatic stress disorder'] @entity1345 :: ('MESH:C566258', 'Disease') :: ['armed forces', 'AF']
@entity1345 :: (MESH:C566258,Disease) :: ['armed forces']
