Domestic Civil Support Missions Can Aggravate Negative Mental Health Outcomes Among National Guardsmen: The Moderating Role of Economic Difficulties

Little research has addressed potentially negative health outcomes associated with domestic civil-oriented operations, but has focused instead on traditional military operations (e.g., combat). This study, conducted following a United States Defense Support to Civilian Authorities mission undertaken by National Guard forces (N = 330), showed that responding to such missions was linked to more negative mental health outcomes, including posttraumatic stress disorder (β = 0.23) and depression (β = 0.23), but only among those who reported difficulty meeting their basic socioeconomic needs and not among those who did not have difficulty meeting their basic needs. The study offers suggestions for identifying individuals who may be especially vulnerable to stressors.