Mild traumatic brain injury in UK military personnel returning from Afghanistan and Iraq: cohort and cross-sectional analyses.

Objectives: : To assess (a) the prevalence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in UK military personnel deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan, (b) the risk factors associated with mTBI, and (c) the association between mTBI and subsequent postconcussion symptoms (PCS).

Participants: : A total of 4620 personnel deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan who completed a questionnaire between 2007 and 2009, of whom 2333 were also studied in 2005, participated in the study.

Main Outcome Measures: : Mild traumatic brain injury during deployment, as identified using a modified version of the Brief Traumatic Brain Injury Screen questionnaire; symptoms associated with PCS in the month before questionnaire completion.

What are the consequences of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on the mental health of the UK armed forces? A cohort study.

Background: Concerns have been raised about the psychological effect of continued combat exposure and of repeated deployments. We examined the consequences of deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan on the mental health of UK armed forces from 2003 to 2009, the effect of multiple deployments, and time since return from deployment.

Methods: We reassessed the prevalence of probable mental disorders in participants of our previous study (2003-05).