Combat experience is one of the factors that increases the risk that U.S. soldiers will start smoking, a new study suggests.Researchers analyzed data from a long-term study to assess the long-term health effects of service in the U.S. military. The study began in 2001 and will continue until 2022. The researchers collect survey data every three years.The focus of this study was military personnel who had never smoked or had quit smoking. The researchers wanted to tease out possible factors for either starting or resuming smoking.They found that factors linked to resuming or newly starting a smoking habit included pay grade, service branch, combat deployment, mental health history, stress and individual characteristics.

The Department of Defense's largest longitudinal study in military history received an endorsement from the Army's surgeon general Sept. 19, emphasizing the importance of the Navy-led study across the military services.

Analysis of factors associated with death by suicide during and after military service found that suicide was most common among those with bipolar disorder, depression and alcohol-related problems. Additionally, death by suicide was associated with fewer cumulative days of deployment, the occupation of combat specialist, deployment experience pre-2001 and male gender. Overall, 12.8% of the deaths in the current sample were due to suicide.

Among service members with no history of mental disorder diagnosis or psychotropic medication prescription, and who screened negative for depression, anxiety, PTSD and panic pre-deployment, 3.4% developed PTSD, less than 1% developed anxiety and less than 2% developed depression after first deployment. Service members who reported sleeping fewer than six hours per night pre-deployment were significantly more likely to develop PTSD than those sleeping seven hours per night. Additionally, those reporting insomnia symptoms pre-deployment were at higher risk for new-onset PTSD, anxiety and depression.

There is a very interesting debate over combat deployment and suicide risk in the December 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.The conversation unfolds in the letters section, and it addresses the results of a JAMA study published in August that suggested military deployment is not associated with suicide risk.

Today, November 11th is Veteran's Day in the United States and Americans honor those who have served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces in order to protect our country. Today on Science & Sensibility, regular contributor Walker Karraa, PhD, takes a look at the impact serving in battle has on women who go on to birth. In an exclusive interview with expert Cynthia LeardMann, Walker shares with S&S readers what the study says and receives more indepth information that provides additional insight into just what women in the military face in regards to their increased risk of PPMADs.

A new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion finds that the lifestyle of veterans both pre- and post-deployment influences their post-deployment wellness.

Today's all-volunteer force is arguably one of the most highly trained and highly educated in our nation's history. To maintain that edge, it must have a strong recruiting pipeline, one that seeks out physically fit, smart young men and women who are interested in serving their country and gaining valuable skills for subsequent careers outside the military. Why, then, don't they recruit for mental health and resiliency?

Deployed women who underwent "combat-like" experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan are much more likely to report sexual harassment and sexual assault compared with other deployed women, according to a new study.

The record number of military suicides seen in recent years may not be directly due to extended deployments or combat experience, according to a new study. This data analysis, funded by the Department of Defense, suggests that the real reason behind the growing number of military suicides is underlying mental health issues in this population.