Differential Impact According to Mission's Operational Intensity on Psychoactive Substance Use: A Retrospective Cohort of French Male Army Service Members.

Background: Stressful deployments in combat areas are known to increase the risk of substance abuse in military personnel.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare deployment on stressful, high-intensity missions (HIMs) to deployment on low-intensity missions (LIMs) in order to understand factors associated with substance use variations across the mission.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study based on a one-shot self-questionnaire was performed four months after their return on two samples of male French Army service members: one returning from an HIM and one from an LIM.