Publications
The following manuscripts have been published or are currently in press. Listings are in chronological order, unless otherwise noted.
| Title | Publication | Date/Location |
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| Military service experiences and reasons for service separation among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in a large military cohort | BMC Public Health | 2022 Jan 6;22(1):39 |
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Carey FR, Jacobson IG, Lehavot K, LeardMann CA, Kolaja CA, Stander VA, Rull RP The goal of this study was to examine differences in military and service separation experiences by sexual orientation among a large representative sample of United States service members and veterans. Survey data from the 2016 Millennium Cohort Study follow-up questionnaire were used to assess sexual orientation (lesbian, gay, and bisexual [LGB] versus heterosexual) and military experiences and service separation experiences. Of the 99,599 participants, 3.4% identified as LGB. Those service members were more likely than their heterosexual peers to report feeling unimpressed by the quality of unit leadership, unsupported by the military, and negative about the military overall. LGB veterans were more likely than heterosexual peers of the same sex to separate from service for a variety of reasons (e.g., administrative, dissatisfaction with promotions/pay, disability/medical reasons, dissatisfaction with leadership and incompatibility with the military). Less positive military- and separation-specific experiences disproportionately affected LGB service members in this study. Promoting inclusion and increasing support for LGB service members may improve satisfaction with military service and retention. |
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| Problematic Anger and Economic Difficulties: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study | Journal of Affective Disorders | 2022 Jan 15;297:679-68 |
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Adler AB, LeardMann CA, Yun S, Jacobson IG, Forbes D; Millennium Cohort Study Team Of 95,895 participants, 17.4% screened positive for problematic anger. Problematic anger was significantly associated with involuntary job loss and financial problems, adjusting for demographics, military characteristics, disabling injury, and behavioral health factors. Among veterans, problematic anger was associated with unemployment and homelessness after adjustment for covariates. These findings suggest it may be useful for military leaders, veteran organizations, and policy makers to support the adjustment and financial health of military personnel and veterans by proactively addressing problematic anger. |
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| Prevalence and predictors of insomnia and sleep medication use in a large tri-service U.S. military sample | Sleep Health | 2021 Dec;7(6):675-682 |
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Markwald RR, Carey FR, Kolaja CA, Jacobson IG, Cooper AD, Chinoy ED Several deployment-related characteristics were significantly associated with the development of insomnia and/or newly-reported sleep medication use, and more than half of the sample with insomnia reported using sleep medication, indicating a high rate of medicating for insomnia. These findings may indicate an underlying systematic issue related to the inability to obtain adequate sleep in military personnel |
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| Cigarette smoking patterns among U.S. military service members before and after separation from the military | PLoS One | 2021 Oct 4;16(10):e0257539 |
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Nieh C, Mancuso JD, Powell TM, Welsh MM, Gackstetter GD, Hooper TI. Millennium Cohort Study data were used to examine smoking behavior at enrollment into the study and through their first follow-up survey, approximately 3 years later. Time remaining in service from baseline until separation or the first follow-up survey was the main exposure of interest. The baseline prevalence of smoking in the Cohort was higher among those who eventually separated (20.1%) than among those who remained on active service (17.4%), but the overall prevalence of current smokers significantly declined over the observation period. Factors significantly associated with greater likelihood of smoking at follow- up were baseline smoking, non-White Hispanic individuals, being non-married, enlisted rank, underweight or healthy BMI, active duty component, any alcohol consumption, experiencing two or more stressful life events, and screening positive for either PTSD or depression. Including smoking prevention and/or cessation programs in pre-separation counseling sessions and developing smoking screening and cessation programs targeting high-risk subgroups may reduce smoking among Service members and veterans. |
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| Longitudinal associations of military-related factors on self-reported sleep among U.S. service members | Sleep | 2021 Dec 10;44(12):zsab168 |
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Cooper AD, Kolaja CA, Markwald RR, Jacobson IG, Chinoy ED This study examined military factors in relation to the development and reoccurrence of short sleep duration (≤5 hours or 6 hours) and insomnia symptoms (i.e., trouble falling asleep or staying asleep in the past month)over a 3-15 year follow-up period. Military factors consistently associated with an increased risk for development and/or reoccurrence of short sleep duration and insomnia symptoms included active duty service, Army or Marine Corps service, combat deployment, and longer than average deployment lengths. Officers and noncombat deployers had decreased risk for either poor sleep characteristic. Length of service and separation from the military were complex factors; each lowered risk for ≤5 hours sleep but increased risk for insomnia symptoms. Findings suggest that efforts to improve sleep prioritization and implement interventions targeting at-risk military populations, behaviors, and other significant factors are warranted. |
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| Combat Experience, New-Onset Mental Health Conditions, and Posttraumatic Growth in U.S. Service Members | Psychiatry | Fall 2021;84(3):276-290 |
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Jacobson IG, Adler AB, Roenfeldt KA, Porter,B., LeardMann CA, Rull RP, Hoge CW Research on posttraumatic growth (PTG) after traumatic experiences has raised questions on measurement, validity, and clinical utility. We longitudinally examined PTG among Millennium Cohort Study deployers (n=8,732), who screened negative for PTSD and depression at time 1, using a measure that improved upon previous psychometric issues. A strong inverse correlation was found between PTG scores at time 2 and new onset mental health problems (PTSD, depression), where lower growth scores correlated with worse mental health (i.e. higher PTSD or depression screening scores). Only 5% of participants who screened positive for a mental health problem at time 2 experienced positive growth. Results suggest that measurement of PTG is not independent from mental health problems following combat experiences and thus challenge the clinical utility of the PTG construct. |
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| Sexual Health Difficulties Among Service Women: The Influence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder | Journal of Affective Disorders | 2021 Sep 1;292:678-686 |
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Kolaja CA, Schuyler AC, Armenta RF, Orman JA, Stander VA, LeardMann CA Sexual health of service women was found to be negatively impacted by recent combat deployment and sexual assault. Post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) mediated the associations of recent combat deployment and sexual assault with sexual health difficulties. Some military factors (i.e., service branch, component, paygrade) were associated with sexual health difficulties among service women. Findings indicate that effective treatment of PTSD may mitigate sexual health issues. |
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| The Role of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Negative Affect in Predicting Substantiated Intimate Partner Violence Incidents Among Military Personnel | Military Behavioral Health | 2021;9(4):442–462 |
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Stander, VA, Woodall KA, Richardson SM, Thomsen CJ, Milner JS, McCarroll JE, Riggs DS, Cozza SJ, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team Increasing rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military populations may indicate heightened risk for aggression, including aggression among domestic partners. Using longitudinal data from the Millennium Cohort Study, we evaluated the association of PTSD symptom clusters and comorbid conditions as predictors of incidents of met criteria incidents of domestic abuse (physical and psychological) from DoD Family Advocacy Program (FAP) Central Registry data. Among 54,667 active-duty personnel who responded to the 2011 survey, FAP records documented 501 participants (1%) with incidents of emotional or physical met criteria incidents of aggression in the data collection period. Results showed that certain aspects of PTSD and behavioral health problems predicted incidents. In particular, general PTSD symptoms (e.g., anger/irritability, sleep disruption) and comorbid alcohol dependence were stronger predictors than trauma-specific PTSD symptomology (e.g., reexperiencing, hypervigilance). These results indicate that clinicians should consider the interpersonal consequences of PTSD and related behavioral problems. |
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| The effect of combat exposure on veteran homelessness | Journal of Housing Economics Information | 2020 Sept; 49,101711 |
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Ackerman A, Porter B, Sullivan R Homelessness is a serious problem among veterans, but how military service contributes to the risk of homelessness is unclear. This study examined the impact of witnessing another's death (a proxy for combat) on likelihood of reporting homelessness. One exposure was associated with a 0.6% increase in homelessness. Extrapolated to the overall population, combat exposure is expected to contribute to 4,600 instances of homeless veterans. |
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| Health of Army Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians in the Millennium Cohort Study | Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association | 2021 Apr 1;258(7):767-775 |
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Rivera AC, Geronimo-Hara TR, LeardMann CA, Penix EA, Phillips CJ, Faix DJ, Rull RP, Whitmer DL, Adler AB, for the Millennium Cohort Study Team This analysis assessed the risk of mental health problems, suicidal ideation, psychotropic medication use, problem drinking, sleep quality, and lack of social support among 101 Army veterinarians and 334 veterinary technicians compared with other Army medical professionals (856 physicians and dentists and 6,453 medics, respectively) enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Study. Compared with physicians and dentists, veterinarians had elevated risks for mental health problems, trouble sleeping, and lack of social support after adjusting for important factors such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, financial problems, and deployment status. Veterinary technicians had no significantly elevated risks for any of the adverse outcomes of interest compared with medics. |
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