Data from: Mental health status of Sri Lanka Navy personnel three years after end of combat operations: a follow up study

The main aim of this study was to assess the mental health status of the Navy Special Forces and regular forces three and a half years after the end of combat operations in mid 2009, and compare it with the findings in 2009. This cross sectional study was carried out in the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), three and a half years after the end of combat operations. Representative samples of SLN Special Forces and regular forces deployed in combat areas were selected using simple random sampling. Only personnel who had served continuously in combat areas during the one year period prior to the end of combat operations were included in the study. The sample consisted of 220 Special Forces and 275 regular forces personnel. Compared to regular forces a significantly higher number of Special Forces personnel had experienced potentially traumatic events. Compared to the period immediately after end of combat operations, in the Special Forces, prevalence of psychological distress and fatigue showed a marginal increase while hazardous drinking and multiple physical symptoms showed a marginal decrease. In the regular forces, the prevalence of psychological distress, fatigue and multiple somatic symptoms declined and prevalence of hazardous drinking increased from 16.5% to 25.7%. During the same period prevalence of smoking doubled in both Special Forces and regular forces. Prevalence of PTSD reduced from 1.9% in Special Forces to 0.9% and in the regular forces from 2.07% to 1.1%. Three and a half years after the end of combat operations mental health problems have declined among SLN regular forces while there was no significant change among Special Forces. Hazardous drinking among regular forces and smoking among both Special Forces and regular forces have increased.

本研究的核心目的为，于2009年中期作战行动结束三年半后，评估斯里兰卡海军（Sri Lanka Navy, SLN）特种部队与常规部队的心理健康状况，并与2009年的调研结果进行对比。本项横断面研究（cross-sectional study）于作战行动结束三年半后在斯里兰卡海军开展。研究采用简单随机抽样方法，选取部署于作战区域的斯里兰卡海军特种部队与常规部队的代表性样本，仅纳入作战行动结束前一年期间持续在作战区域服役的人员。最终样本包含220名特种部队人员与275名常规部队人员。与常规部队相比，特种部队人员遭遇潜在创伤性事件的比例显著更高。相较于作战行动刚结束时，特种部队的心理困扰与疲劳患病率小幅上升，而危险饮酒与多种躯体症状的患病率小幅下降。在常规部队中，心理困扰、疲劳及多种躯体症状的患病率有所降低，但危险饮酒的患病率从16.5%升至25.7%。同期，特种部队与常规部队的吸烟率均翻倍。创伤后应激障碍（Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD）的患病率在特种部队中从1.9%降至0.9%，在常规部队中从2.07%降至1.1%。作战行动结束三年半后，斯里兰卡海军常规部队的心理健康问题患病率有所下降，而特种部队未出现显著变化；但常规部队的危险饮酒行为，以及两支队伍的吸烟率均有所升高。