DESERT SHIELD DEPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL-PROBLEMS ON A UNITED-STATES-ARMY COMBAT SUPPORT POST

We undertook a study of selected mental health-related services at a c ombat support post to determine if stress levels surrounding Operation s Desert Shield/Desert Storm had an effect on the utilization of these services. Our measure was the problem rate formed by adding the visit s to the alcohol and drug service and the social work service. The fin dings (not all of which reached statistical significance in our small study) were that the problem rates were higher in those units which de ployed, both before and after deployment. The pre-deployment differenc es in age, rank, and race between those soldiers deployed and not depl oyed is a finding which may help to account for the difference between units. There was a transient, but not sustained, problem rate increas e immediately following return home for those units which deployed. Im plications for mental health-related services staffing and directions for further research are discussed.