Most active-duty Army soldiers are married. It was well documented in previous military operations that frequent or extended military deployment leads to increased stress, anxiety, and depression among military personnel and their families.

However, given the current conditions of extraordinarily long deployments and unusually dangerous conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the psychosocial burden on families of military personnel is not well understood. A new study examining around 250,000 wives of active duty Army soldiers suggests that prolonged deployment is associated with several mental health disorders. The study compared the medical records of Army wives of military personnel who were deployed less than 11 months and more than 11 months between 2003 and 2006 with those who were not deployed at all during the same time period.

Among spouses of military members who were deployed less than 11 months, as compared with spouses of those who were not deployed, the rates of mental health diagnoses was 18% higher for depressive disorders, 21% higher for sleep disorders, 25% higher for anxiety disorders, and 23% higher for acute stress reaction and adjustment disorders. The rate of use of mental health services for any mental health diagnosis was also 19% higher.

The real alarming numbers, however, come from the group whose husbands were deployed for more than 11 months. As compared to those that were not deployed, the rates of mental health diagnoses was 24% higher for depressive disorders, 40% higher for sleep disorders, 29% higher for anxiety disorders, and 39% higher for acute stress reaction and adjustment disorders. The rate of use of mental health services for any mental health diagnosis was 27% higher!

These findings suggest that “the mental health effects of current operations are extending beyond soldiers and into their immediate families.” Basically, when a soldier deploys, the entire family also deploys. According to the study, “besides fear for the safety of their loved ones, spouses of deployed personnel often face challenges of maintaining a household, coping as a single parent, and experiencing marital strain due to a deployment-induced separation of an uncertain duration,” which often leads to “marital dissatisfaction, unemployment, divorce, and declining emotional health.”

With the war in Afghanistan with no near end and the President pledging an additional 30,000 troops, increased efforts for mental health services for military families should be supported. Several services such as a hotline and a Web-based program that provides counseling are already in place.