A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers

Due to the expansion of leadership roles in the military for women, female military personnel now face stressors equal to, and yet unique from, their male counterparts. This pilot study surveyed 73 female U.S. Army officers regarding their experiences of leadership and mental wellness within the mil...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rosellen Roche, Joel Manzi, Katelyn Bard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Aurora Health Care 2021-04-01
Series:Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews
Subjects:
Online Access:https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1776&context=jpcrr
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spelling doaj-7dec2f10c75a48508377cfcb9c04e1c12021-04-20T15:39:26ZengAurora Health CareJournal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews 2330-06982021-04-018213413910.17294/2330-0698.1776A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military OfficersRosellen Roche0Joel Manzi1Katelyn Bard2Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Cleveland, OHOhio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Cleveland, OHOhio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Cleveland, OHDue to the expansion of leadership roles in the military for women, female military personnel now face stressors equal to, and yet unique from, their male counterparts. This pilot study surveyed 73 female U.S. Army officers regarding their experiences of leadership and mental wellness within the military. A mixed-methods survey was distributed via 2 private Facebook groups for female Army officers following an anonymized convenience sampling. This anonymous, patient-centered protocol was used to protect against known stigma surrounding disclosing mental health concerns in the military. Respondents were asked a series of questions including perceived mental health status and access to behavioral health services. Most respondents reported feelings of stress related to their roles as officers (86.6%). Self-reported feelings of anxiety (83.6%) and depression (65.7%) were high. In contrast, only 30.1% had ever received a formal diagnosis of anxiety or depression by a mental health professional. Our survey confirmed a large percentage, 65.7% of respondents, reported avoiding mental/behavioral health services. Female military officers are able to recognize their feelings as symptoms of anxiety and depression; however, many take active steps to hide these symptoms from their family members and senior officers and avoid seeking professional care.https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1776&context=jpcrrmental healthmilitary and veterans studieswomen's healthself-reportinganxietydepression
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Rosellen Roche
Joel Manzi
Katelyn Bard
spellingShingle Rosellen Roche
Joel Manzi
Katelyn Bard
A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers
Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews
mental health
military and veterans studies
women's health
self-reporting
anxiety
depression
author_facet Rosellen Roche
Joel Manzi
Katelyn Bard
author_sort Rosellen Roche
title A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers
title_short A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers
title_full A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers
title_fullStr A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers
title_full_unstemmed A Patient-Centered Study Examining Self-Identification of Mental Health Challenges Among Female Military Officers
title_sort patient-centered study examining self-identification of mental health challenges among female military officers
publisher Aurora Health Care
series Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews
issn 2330-0698
publishDate 2021-04-01
description Due to the expansion of leadership roles in the military for women, female military personnel now face stressors equal to, and yet unique from, their male counterparts. This pilot study surveyed 73 female U.S. Army officers regarding their experiences of leadership and mental wellness within the military. A mixed-methods survey was distributed via 2 private Facebook groups for female Army officers following an anonymized convenience sampling. This anonymous, patient-centered protocol was used to protect against known stigma surrounding disclosing mental health concerns in the military. Respondents were asked a series of questions including perceived mental health status and access to behavioral health services. Most respondents reported feelings of stress related to their roles as officers (86.6%). Self-reported feelings of anxiety (83.6%) and depression (65.7%) were high. In contrast, only 30.1% had ever received a formal diagnosis of anxiety or depression by a mental health professional. Our survey confirmed a large percentage, 65.7% of respondents, reported avoiding mental/behavioral health services. Female military officers are able to recognize their feelings as symptoms of anxiety and depression; however, many take active steps to hide these symptoms from their family members and senior officers and avoid seeking professional care.
topic mental health
military and veterans studies
women's health
self-reporting
anxiety
depression
url https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1776&context=jpcrr
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