The prevalence of mental health disorders in (ex-)military personnel with a physical impairment: a systematic review

Background Having a visual, hearing or physical impairment (defined as problems in body function or structure) may adversely influence the mental well-being of military personnel. This paper reviews the existing literature regarding the prevalence of mental health problems among (ex-) military personnel who have a permanent, predominantly, physical impairment. Method Multiple electronic literature databases were searched for relevant studies (EMBASE (1980-January 2014), MEDLINE (1946-January 2014), PsycINFO (2002-January 2014), Web of Science (1975-January 2014)). Results 25 papers were included in the review, representing 17 studies. Studies conducted among US military personnel (n=8) were most represented. A range of mental health disorders were investigated; predominately post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but also depression, anxiety disorder (excluding PTSD), psychological distress and alcohol misuse. The findings indicate that mental health disorders including PTSD (range 2-59%), anxiety (range 16.1-35.5%), depression (range 9.7-46.4%) and psychological distress (range 13.4-36%) are frequently found whereby alcohol misuse was least common (range 2.2-26.2%). Conclusions Common mental health disorders were frequently identified among (ex-) military personnel with a physical impairment. Adequate care and support is necessary during the impairment adaptation process to facilitate the psychosocial challenges (ex-) military personnel with an impairment face. Future research should be directed into factors impacting on the mental well-being of (ex-) military personnel with an impairment, how prevalence rates vary across impairment types and to identify and act on specific needs for care and support.