Objectives: Assess the prevalence of US Army aviation personnel with common mental disorders, the percentage that return to duty following mental health treatment, and predictors of return to duty.
Methods: Examined the prevalence over a 5-year period. The percentage of personnel who were granted a waiver to return to flying duty following treatment was also determined.
Results: The results revealed a 5-year prevalence of 0.036 (95% CI = 0.034-0.038) for personnel experiencing one or more of the mental disorders (N = 1,155). Prevalence was highest for adjustment disorders and for nonpilot participants. Overall, personnel were granted a waiver 55.3% of the time and suspended or disqualified 44.7% of the time. Waivers were more likely to be granted for an adjustment disorder and for pilots.
Conclusions: Discussion focuses on the importance of aviation personnel receiving mental health treatment when problems are not severe to maximize the likelihood of returning to duty.
Keywords: mental disorder; military; return to duty; stigma; treatment.
Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.