Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Sep;28(3):e1788.
doi: 10.1002/mpr.1788. Epub 2019 Aug 2.

Army Warrior Care Project (AWCP): Rationale and methods for a longitudinal study of behavioral health care in Army Warrior Transition Units using Military Health System data, FY2008-2015

Nikki R Wooten  1 , Jordan A Brittingham  2 , Akhtar Hossain  2 , Laura A Hopkins  3 , Nahid S Sumi  2 , Diana D Jeffery  4 , Abbas S Tavakoli  5 , Hrishikesh Chakraborty  6 , Sue E Levkoff  1 , Mary Jo Larson  7
Affiliations

Army Warrior Care Project (AWCP): Rationale and methods for a longitudinal study of behavioral health care in Army Warrior Transition Units using Military Health System data, FY2008-2015

Nikki R Wooten et al. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2019 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: Warrior Transition Units (WTUs) are specialized military units co-located with major military treatment facilities providing a Triad of Care involving primary care physicians, case managers, and military leadership to soldiers needing comprehensive medical care. We describe the rationale and methods for studying behavioral health care in WTUs and characterize soldiers assigned to WTUs.

Methods: The Army Warrior Care Project (AWCP) analyzes U.S. Department of Defense Military Health System data to examine behavioral health problems and service utilization among Army soldiers who were assigned to WTUs after returning from Afghanistan and Iraq deployments, FY2008-2015.

Results: WTU members (N = 31,094) comprised 3.5% of the AWCP cohort (N = 883,091). Almost all (96.5%) had one WTU assignment for a median of 327 days; 77.3% were assigned before deployment ended, ≤30 or >365 days post-deployment; 59.4% had deployment-related behavioral health diagnoses.

Conclusions: An overwhelming majority of soldiers had one WTU assignment for almost a year. A substantial proportion of WTU soldiers had psychological impairment, which limited performance of their military duties. The AWCP is the first longitudinal study of redeployed soldiers assigned to WTUs and provides a unique opportunity to advance our understanding of behavioral health among soldiers needing comprehensive medical care after combat deployments.

Keywords: U.S. Army veterans; Warrior Transition Units; combat deployments; military behavioral health; military medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Army Warrior Care Project's conceptualization of behavioral health vulnerability in U.S. Army soldiers deployed for Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn. Abbreviations: ED: emergency department; WTU: Warrior Transition Unit
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram of Army Warrior Care Project cohort selection criteria. 1Includes Active, National Guard, and Reserves, but service members may not be Inactive National Guard/Reserves, Discharged, or Retired
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number and percent of soldiers assigned to Warrior Transition Units and median length of Warrior Transition Unit assignment, by military service component and fiscal year of Warrior Transition Unit entry, FY2008–2015. Abbreviation: WTU: Warrior Transition Unit
Figure 4
Figure 4
Number and percent of Warrior Transition Unit soldiers discharged by fiscal year of Warrior Transition Unit entry, FY2008–2015, by military service component. Abbreviation: WTU, Warrior Transition Unit
Figure 5
Figure 5
Number and percent of WTU soldiers diagnosed with behavioral health disorders within 30 days after WTU assignment begin date, by fiscal year of WTU assignment, FY2008–FY2015, by military service component. Abbreviation: WTU, Warrior Transition Unit
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. 110th Congress . (2007. ‐2008). Dignified treatment of wounded warriors act, § 201.
    1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center [AFHSC] . (2012a). AFHSC surveillance case definitions. Retrieved from https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Health-Readiness/Armed-Forces-...; accessed May 24, 2017.
    1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center [AFHSC]. (2012b). Health of women after wartime deployments: Correlates of risk for selected medical conditions among females after initial and repeat deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq, active component, US Armed Forces. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, 19, 2–10. - PubMed
    1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center [AFHSC]. (2012c). Medical evacuation from Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, active and reserve components, US armed forces, 2003‐2011. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, 19, 18–21. - PubMed
    1. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center [AFHSC]. (2012d). Mental disorders and mental health problems, active component, US Armed Forces, 2000‐2011. Medical Surveillance Monthly Report, 19, 11–17. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms