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Report: Contractors Sent To War Zones Often Experience PTSD

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Private contractors sent to war and conflict zones may experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as frequently or more often than their military counterparts, according to a study released Tuesday by the RAND Corporation.

The report is based on an online survey of 660 contractors, most of whom were citizens of the United States and United Kingdom. Despite the fact that the Department of Defense employed more contractors than U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan at the peak of both wars, little is known about how contractors fare during and after their deployments. The survey results reveal that these private employees are affected by serious mental health problems and may not feel comfortable seeking medical treatment.

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A quarter of participants met the survey's criteria for "probable" PTSD; by contrast, previous research has estimated the rate of PTSD for U.S. service members at between four and 20 percent. Eighteen percent of the contractors also screened positive for depression and 10 percent reported high-risk drinking. These rates are at the lower end of the range seen amongst service members for depression and excessive drinking.

Nearly three-quarters of contractors said that they or their colleagues were the target of incoming fire from small arms, artillery, rockets and bombs. Half of the respondents said that terrorists or civilians attacked them or their team members. They also encountered improvised explosive devices and the threat of kidnappings. While these mirror the experiences of troops, contractors are not permitted to engage in offensive combat.

Contractors with a higher incidence of mental health issues were frequently deployed in a high-risk job involving transportation. Longer deployments were also associated with higher rates of PTSD and depression.

Only 10 percent of the survey's respondents had received mental health treatment in the previous year. For those with symptoms of PTSD and depression, 28 percent and 34 percent, respectively, got some form of treatment. Survey respondents also had poor reviews of programs or resources provided by their employers to cope with deployment-related stress: just 17 percent felt their company gave them the right tools to manage these feelings.

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Many contractors said that they hadn't sought treatment because they feared embarrassment and being perceived as weak. They also reported that cost was a consideration;  21 percent of U.S. contractors said they lacked health insurance.

The report concluded that more research must be done on this population to fully understand how contractors are affected by serious mental health problems. It also recommended that companies increase access to stress management and mental health resources, and decrease stigma by educating its employees about stress and deployment.