New onset of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms or diagnosis were reported by up to 87 per 1000 combat-deployed personnel and up to 21 per 1000 non-combat deployed personnel, according to the study. Researchers analyzed the effect of deployment on more than 50,000 military personnel who were taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study, a large 22-year study of the health of US military personnel.
New onset symptoms were proportionately higher among participants who were female, divorced, enlisted, and in those who reported being a current smoker or problem drinker at baseline.
Persistent symptoms were found in 40-50 percent of participants who had post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, suggesting that resolution of post-traumatic stress disorder may not be expected for several years, according to the study published in the British Journal of Medicine.
More than 40 percent of participants in the study were deployed between 2001 and 2006; 24 percent deployed for the first time in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
