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. 2007 Dec:191:506-11.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.039818.

Influence of childhood adversity on health among male UK military personnel

Amy C Iversen  1 , Nicola T Fear, Emily Simonoff, Lisa Hull, Oded Horn, Neil Greenberg, Matthew Hotopf, Roberto Rona, Simon Wessely
Affiliations

Influence of childhood adversity on health among male UK military personnel

Amy C Iversen et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Exposure to childhood adversity may explain why only a minority of combatants exposed to trauma develop psychological problems.

Aims: To examine the association between self-reported childhood vulnerability and later health outcomes in a large randomly selected male military cohort.

Method: Data are derived from the first stage of a cohort study comparing Iraq veterans and non-deployed UK military personnel. We describe data collected by questionnaire from males in the regular UK armed forces (n=7937).

Results: Pre-enlistment vulnerability is associated with being single, of lower rank, having low educational attainment and serving in the Army. Pre-enlistment vulnerability is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes. Two main factors emerge as important predictors of ill health: a 'family relationships' factor reflecting the home environment and an 'externalising behaviour' factor reflecting behavioural disturbance.

Conclusions: Pre-enlistment vulnerability is an important individual risk factor for ill health in military men. Awareness of such factors is important in understanding post-combat psychiatric disorder.

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