Stigma is relative, socially and culturally determined, and dynamic. Consequently, stigma is a difficult concept to operationally define. This is important because definitions shape and directly impact efforts to research and reduce stigma. In 2014, the RAND National Defense Research Institute published an extensive assessment of stigma-reduction strategies within the DoD (Acosta et al., 2014).
17.2%, 36.3%, and 7.3%
The percentages, respectively, of 9,872 military spouses enrolled in the Millennium Cohort Family Study who reported cigarette smoking, risky drinking, and problem drinking, according to a recent study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors -- Smoking and drinking behaviors of military spouses: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Family Study.
Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. We're heading into the final week of July and the fall is just around the corner.
The weekly research update contains the latest news, journal articles, useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:
● Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, and Any Mental Health Condition Among U.S. Soldiers and Marines, 2001-2011.
● Responsiveness of Veterans Affairs Health Care System to Zolpidem Safety Warnings.
● Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia Reduces Fear of Sleep in Individuals With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Stigma against people with mental health conditions has a significant impact that extends beyond stereotypes. Fellow CDP'er Dr. Paula Dominici’s blog article a few weeks ago detailed some specific ways Service members with mental health conditions are affected by social perceptions about their fitness for duty, as well as how their own self perceptions impede help seeking and negatively impact emotional wellbeing.