The Impact of the United States Air Force Deployment Transition Center on Postdeployment Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

The United States Air Force Deployment Transition Center (DTC) operates a 2-day third-location decompression program that commenced operations during the summer of 2010 in Ramstein, Germany, with the aim to assist Air Force service members (AFSMs) who are returning from deployment as they prepare to reintegrate back into their home lives and work stations. The present study evaluated the impact of DTC attendance on later mental health outcomes. Because participants are not randomly assigned to attend the DTC, propensity score weighting was used to compare DTC participants (N = 1,573) to a weighted control group of AFSMs (N = 1,570) in the same job specialties who returned from deployment during the same time period. Rates of endorsement to items on the Postdeployment Health Reassessment were examined and compared, as were rates of mental health diagnoses from AFSMs’ official medical records. Key findings indicate that DTC participants reported lower levels of depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms and lower levels of relationship conflict following return from deployment, as compared to weighted control participants. Mental health diagnostic rates were comparable for the 2 groups during the first 6 months following return from deployment. These findings suggest that participation in the DTC program had notable benefits for redeploying AFSMs and support the continued use of the program.

• Air Force service members
• third-location decompression
• Deployment Transition Center
• deployment health assessments
• mental health

Notes

1 Additional information regarding the deployment health assessments can be found at http://www.pdhealth.mil.

2 When an individual has more than one diagnosis, the principal diagnosis or reason for the visit is listed first. This is referred to as the primary diagnosis. Any additional diagnoses at the same visit are referred to as secondary diagnoses. Only primary diagnoses are examined in this study.

3 The weighted control group consists of the same individuals as the unweighted control group. However, the application of the propensity score weights to the control group yields a weighted control group with a smaller overall sample size than the unweighted control group.

4 Of note, the categorical AFSC and country variables were dummy coded for use in the regression model that led to estimated propensity scores.