2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

. Screening and monitoring of personnel deployed overseas continues to occur.
c. The Defence Force Psychology Organisation (DFPO), together with the Defence
Health Service (DHS), establish an appropriate process for the coordination and
effective utilisation of mental health data, and that ADF members be informed
that data from mental health questionnaires will be collected for research
purposes.
d. Norming of the mental health of ADF personnel, both non-deployed and
deployed, is recommended. Development of appropriate norms should be
followed by benchmarking research.
e. The modified version of the GHQ12 in the MHS be replaced by an original
version of the GHQ.
f. A more systematic approach for the use of psychological screening instruments
within the ADF should occur. In determining the appropriate instruments, all
relevant stakeholders (Navy, Army, and RAAF representatives, 1 Psychology
Unit, DFPO, and DHS) should be involved.
g. Future end-of-deployment paperwork include reference to the main location of
deployment within the country of deployment.
Of these, recommendations a. and b. have been adopted, and a more comprehensive
approach to the use of mental health data is now being considered both in a research and
surveillance sense (recommendation c). While the norming of the instruments has yet to be
conducted (recommendation d), that too is being considered. The modified GHQ12 has
been replaced (recommendation e), although not with the original GHQ, and this will be
addressed later in this paper. Policy providing a more systematic approach to screening
instruments has been produced (Health Bulletin 9/2003, 11/2003 6667 ; recommendation f),
but the inclusion of details on main location within country has proved to be impractical to
include on the screening paperwork (recommendation g).
Given the progress that has been made on Deans’ (2002) recommendations it seems
timely to review the impact of these changes on the data available from these deployments.
AIM
The aim of this paper is to conduct an analysis of the psychological impacts of
deployments on ADF members returning from operations in East Timor to determine the
impact of changes made to the screening process since Deans’ (2002) analysis.
66
Defence Health Service, Health Bulletin 9/2003, Australian Defence Force Mental Health Screen,
Canberra, Australia.
67
Defence Health Service, Health Bullettin 11/2003, Mental Health Support to Operationally
Deployed Forces, Canberra, Australia.
703
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003