Use of the Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) Program in a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadian Active Duty Military Personnel

Abstract

IntroductionRecent research evidence indicates increased mental health needs among Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel. Research evidence also indicates that a portion of CAF personnel with mental health needs do not seek professional mental health care or significantly delay initiating treatment. The current study was designed to examine individual correlates of use for a paraprofessional peer support program available to CAF personnel, veterans, and their families (i.e., Operational Stress Injury Social Support [OSISS]). Methods: Participants included 6,700 CAF Regular members. Prevalence estimates were computed for all variables of interest and hierarchical logistic regression analyses served to identify correlates of OSISS use. Results: The results indicate that meeting criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder had the strongest association with OSISS use (OR = 22.31 [95% CI = 13.36-37.28]), but only a small number of CAF personnel (1.2%) seek help from OSISS. Discussion: Results suggest that OSISS use was limited and tended to occur in conjunction with professional mental health service use. Efforts could be engaged to emphasize the availability of peer support as a resource for all operational stress injuries and to increase the reach of peer support programs for military personnel.

Keywords:

• Peer support
• Canadian Armed Forces
• operational stress
• PTSD
• anxiety
• mental health program
• health service use
• mental health
• military

Notes

1 Analyses were also conducted with severity of interference in functioning from mental health symptoms (i.e., Sheehan Disability Scale interference score) as the past 12-month mental heath need variables and are available upon request; however, there were no differences in patterns of association.

Additional information

Funding

Sophie Duranceau was supported by a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (347–406), a Bourse de maîtrise en recherche B2 from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (181214), and scholarships from the Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada and the University of Regina Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Mark A. Zamorski received funding from the Department of National Defence in the form of salary support. R. Nicholas Carleton was supported by the Canadian Institute of Public Safety Research and Treatment (CIPSRT) and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through a New Investigator Award (FRN: 285489) and a Catalyst Grant (FRN: 162545). The authors attest that no undue influence occurred during the funding or review process.