Health Services and Population Research

Purpose

The PHCoE Health Services and Population Research program analyzes enterprise-level military health and administrative datasets to address key psychological health research gaps that have the potential to affect Warfighter readiness. HSPR produces topical reports and publications that inform military policy and decision-making. Research efforts address predictors, patterns, and trajectories of psychological health problems; patterns of Military Health System utilization; and individual and system-wide burdens associated with such problems. Specifically, the program aims to:

  1. Longitudinally model the incidence, prevalence, and trajectories of psychological health outcomes
  2. Examine psychological health services utilization
  3. Characterize outcomes associated with management of psychological health conditions over time in the MHS
  4. Prepare and disseminate reports summarizing these data analytic findings

HSPR frequently partners with military and relevant academic stakeholders to achieve these goals.

Benefits of this Approach

A wealth of programmatic data is obtained via electronic systems that aggregate personnel, readiness, and medical record information from across the MHS. These data enable the execution of statistical analyses and modeling to address specific research gaps relevant to warfighter health and performance.

Recent Partners, Collaborators and Stakeholders

Select Ongoing Projects

  • Psychological, Physical, and Lifestyle Problems among Remote Piloted Aircraft (RPA) and Manned Aircraft (MA) Pilots in the Air Force and Army: Association with Occupation Retention
  • Unspecified Anxiety Disorder: Diagnostic Specificity, Health Care Utilization, and Military Attrition
  • The Impact of Psychological Symptoms and Deployment-Related Trauma Exposures on Cardiometabolic Health in Deployed Active Duty Service Members
  • CDC National Violent Death Report System (NVDRS) and Department of Defense Suicide Event Report (DoDSER) Linkage Descriptive Study 2016-2023
  • Spatiotemporal Analysis of Suicide Mortality in DoD, 2016-2023
  • Behavioral Health Data Portal Risk Profile Analysis

Select Completed Projects

  • Evaluation of Childhood Abuse and Combat Exposure Among Treatment Seeking Service Members with PTSD
  • Association of Angry and Aggressive Behaviors with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Mild Traumatic Brain injury in the Health Related Behaviors Survey
  • The Associations of Opioid and Benzodiazepine Prescriptions with Injuries Among U.S. Military Service Members
  • In-Theater Mental Health Disorders Among U.S. Soldiers Deployed Between 2008 and 2013
  • Characterizing Service Members with Adjustment Disorders and Factors Associated with Early Attrition
  • Prognostic Factors and Functional Outcomes in Service Members Diagnosed with Adjustment Disorders
  • Evaluating Measures of Combat Deployment for U.S. Army Personnel Using Various Sources of Administrative Data
  • Women in Combat: The Effects of Combat Exposure and Gender on the Incidence and Persistence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnostic Status
  • Impact of Occupation on the Occurrence of Psychological Conditions in the Time Approaching Retirement from the Service after 20+ Years
  • Patterns, Prevalence, and Burden of Multimorbidity in the U.S. Military
  • Demographic, Behavioral, and Proximal Risk Factors for Gambling Disorder in the U.S. Military
  • Explosive Ordinance Disposal Personnel in the U.S. Military Have Higher Risk of Insomnia and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Large Retrospective Cohort Study
  • Longitudinal Investigation of Diagnosed Psychological and Physical Health Outcomes Among U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen
  • Psychological Health Outcomes Among Drone and Manned Aircraft Pilots
  • Healthcare Among Special Operations Forces Diagnosed and Treated for Traumatic Brain Injury
  • Discrepancies in Diagnostic Records of Military Service Members with Self-Reported PTSD
  • Longitudinal Relationship of Combat Exposure with Mental Health Diagnosis in the Military Health System
  • Typologies of Combat Exposure as Predictors and Their Effects on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Symptoms