Military occupation as a moderator between combat exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in US Army personnel

ABSTRACT

Military occupational designations are standardized classifications that help define and convey a service member’s expected duties and responsibilities. The present study examined how occupational designation was related to adverse combat-reactions, specifically posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It was hypothesized that at comparable levels of combat, non-combat units would display greater symptomology than combat units. The study sample consisted of 785 combat-deployed, active-duty enlisted US Army personnel. Participants were administered self-report questionnaires, including the Combat Experiences Scale and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5. Occupation was coded using the three-branch system (i.e., Operations, Support, & Force Sustainment). Hierarchical multiple linear regression (MLR) was run to examine the effect of occupation, combat, and unit cohesion on PTSD symptoms. Operations units reported the highest frequency of combat exposure; however, Force Sustainment units displayed the highest PTSD symptoms. In MLR analysis, there was a significant interaction between Force Sustainment units and combat exposure (β = 0.10, p = .019), that was not observed in Operations or Support units. These findings demonstrate that PTSD symptom intensity is not solely a function of combat exposure, and that non-combat units may react differently when exposed to elevated levels of combat.

KEYWORDS:

• Military
• occupation
• combat
• PTSD

Disclaimer

Materials for this study has been reviewed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. There is no objection to its presentation and/or publication. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors, and are not to be construed as official, or as reflecting true views the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense The investigators have adhered to the policies for protection of human subjects as prescribed in AR 70–25. Portions of this research constituted Brian Kok’s doctoral dissertation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2020.1782625.