Depression rates among veterans by different conflict eras

Background: Depressive and anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders and are very common among individuals with a history of military service. The aims of this study were to examine the prevalence of depression among respondents with a history of military service, and examine if self-reported depression in veterans differs by the major conflicts/war they participated in using the 2012 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS).

Methods: Data were from the 2012 BRFSS, a cross-sectional random-digit-dialed telephone survey of 473,604 noninstitutionalized adult population aged 18 years or older. The outcome variable was self-reported depression and the independent variable was researcher defined conflict eras using a participant age and a positive reply to veteran status to group participants into the different conflicts in history (World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Gulf War). A logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the association between conflict era and socio-demographic factors and depression.

Results: Depression prevalence was lower among veterans (15.3%) than among non-veterans (19.0%). After controlling for all potential confounders, veteran participants in the Vietnam War and Gulf War were 1.54 (95% CI, 1.46 – 1.63) and 1.16 (95% CI, 1.07 – 1.27) times more likely to be depressed compare to non-participant veterans of any war respectively. World War II and Korean War veterans were both 42% less likely to be depressed compared to non-participant veterans of any war.

Conclusion: Depression rates differ among veterans who participated in different war/conflict eras. Understanding the burden of depression among veterans that participated in different conflict eras provides insightful distribution of clinical and programmatic resources.