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A new study suggests that low levels of the highly unsaturated omega-3 essential fatty acids, in particular DHA, may be associated with increased risk of suicide. Researchers at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) drew this finding following analysis of a large random sampling of suicide deaths among U.S. military personnel on active-duty between 2002 and 2008. The results of this retrospective study appear in the August 23 online version of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Veterans were significantly more likely to have ever engaged in extramarital sex and ever gotten divorced than people who were never in the military, according to new research to be presented at the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. The study, based on data from a 1992 national survey, found that more than 32 percent of ever-married veterans reported extramarital sex, which is about twice the rate among ever-married non-veterans (16.8 percent).
It is currently estimated that approximately 250,000 children younger than 18 years are actively involved as child soldiers in hostilities in 14 countries or territories worldwide. The civil war in Northern Uganda lasted more than 2 decades and has affected virtually the entire Northern Ugandan population. Former child soldiers from Northern Uganda who received a short-term trauma-focused intervention had a greater reduction of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder than soldiers who received other therapy, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights.
A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues found that veterans who are repeat suicide attempters suffer significantly greater mortality rates due to suicide compared to both military and civilian peers. The research was published this month in BMC Public Health. Check the end of this report for a link to download this open access study.
Bioengineers at Harvard have identified, for the very first time, the mechanism for diffuse axonal injury and explained why cerebral vasospasm is more common in blast-induced brain injuries than in brain injuries typically suffered by civilians. The research addresses two major aspects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with significant implications for the medical treatment of soldiers wounded by explosions.
In a commentary, Stephen J. Cozza, M.D., from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md., provides perspective on the scope of U.S. military deployment and the population it touches. For additional background information see, “Length Of Parental Military Deployment Associated With Children’s Mental Health Diagnoses.”
Children with a parent who was deployed in the U.S. military efforts Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) for longer periods were more likely than children whose parents did not deploy to receive a diagnosis of a mental health problem, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The research was carried about by Alyssa J. Mansfield, Ph.D., M.P.H., then of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, now of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Honolulu, and colleagues.
New research shows significantly higher osteoarthritis (OA) incidence rates in United States’ military populations than among comparable age groups in the general population. The magnitude of the difference in OA rates between military service members and the general population also increased with advancing age category. Black service members had higher OA rates than white military personnel or those in other race categories according to the study findings published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
An estimated 18 American military veterans take their own lives every day – thousands each year – and those numbers are steadily increasing. Even after weathering the stresses of military life and the terrors of combat, these soldiers find themselves overwhelmed by the transition back into civilian life. Many have already survived one suicide attempt, but never received the extra help and support they needed with tragic results. A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues found that veterans who are repeat suicide attempters suffer significantly greater mortality rates due to suicide compared to both military and civilian peers. Included in this report is a link to download this open access study.
The HeartMath research center has been studying the mental and physical affects of stressful emotions for close to 20 years. Today it is launching a free training DVD available through its website giving scientifically-validated techniques to help military personnel manage the unique stressors that come from service.
