"Study reports on mental health, ethics of U.S. combat troops in Iraq"

[in_cog_ni_to]

Study reports on mental health, ethics of U.S. combat troops in Iraq

Dod A new Pentagon study shows how the war in Iraq is impacting the U.S. military's most battle-hardened troops.

"Approximately 10% of Soldiers and Marines report mistreating non-combatants (damaged/destroyed Iraqi property when not necessary or hit/kicked a non-combatant when not necessary)," the report, released today, says. "Soldiers that have high levels of anger, experienced high levels of combat or screened positive for a mental health problem were nearly twice as likely to mistreat non-combatants as those who had low levels of anger or combat or screened negative for a mental health problem."<snip>

<snip>
The study, which included more than 1,700 respondents in units that have seen heavy combat, shows a "downwards trend" in marital satisfaction since earlier studies of military personnel in Iraq. A little under 7% of respondents reported drinking alcohol in violation of military regulations, while 1.4% acknowledged taking illegal drugs while they were deployed to Iraq.

Some of the other significant findings, according to a press release from the Defense Department:
• Soldiers who deployed longer (greater than six months) or had deployed multiple times were more likely to screen positive for a mental health issue.
• Less than half of soldiers and Marines would report a team member for unethical behavior.
• More than one-third of all soldiers and Marines reported that torture should be allowed to save the life of a fellow soldier or Marine.
• Deployment length was directly linked to morale problems in the Army.
• Both soldiers and Marines reported at relatively high rates - 62% and 66%, respectively - that they knew someone seriously injured or killed, or that a member of their team had become a casualty. <snip>

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/05/study_reports_o.html