Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among US military health care professionals deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan

Jacobson IG, Horton JL, LeardMann CA, Ryan MAK, Boyko EJ, Wells TS, Smith B, Smith TC. Posttraumatic stress disorder and depression among US military health care professionals deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. J Trauma Stress; 2012 Dec;25(6):616-23.

Among military personnel deployed with combat experience, health care professionals did not have increased odds for new-onset PTSD or depression over time compared to individuals in other occupations. Combat experience significantly increased the odds for new-onset PTSD or depression among deployed health care professionals, suggesting that combat experience, not features specific to being a health care professional, was the key exposure explaining development of these outcomes.