Mental health attrition from air force basic military training

The Department of Defense invests considerable money in recruiting and trai ning new military recruits who are discharged for mental health reasons bef ore completing their first enlistment, often within the First 6 months of a ctive duty. The purpose of this study was to provide a description of 1,138 Air Force recruits referred for a mental health evaluation while in basic military training. Variables examined include dispositions, demographic fea tures, diagnoses, mental health history, and attitude and motivation charac teristics. Findings show that trainees recommended for discharge often had a history of depression, expressed a lack of motivation to continue in the military, were reporting suicidal ideation, and typically had withheld info rmation on their mental health history during their Military Entrance Proce ssing Station processing. The results are discussed in terms of potential s trategies for reducing mental health attrition in Air Force basic military training.