The mental health of U.S. military women in combat support occupations

Background: The proportion of women in the U. S. military is increasing, and they are being selected into jobs that are more combat related. However, the mental health effects of working in combat support occupations among military women have not been previously evaluated. Methods: Active-duty enlisted Navy and Marine Corps women in combat support (n = 10,299) and noncombat support (n = 63,478) occupations were followed for 2 years between January 1, 1994, and August 31, 2001. Hospitalization diagnoses were examined and organized into eight categories of mental disorders; Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to describe these outcomes. Results: Women in combat support occupations were found to be significantly less likely to be hospitalized for a mental disorder than women in all other military occupations. Conclusions: These results are reassuring but may be confounded by a healthy worker selection effect. Further studies are needed to assess how service in combat support occupations affects the long-term health of U. S. military women.