4 9 1 Pre-Deployment
4.9.3 Post-Deployment
As with the mid-deployment stage, less emphasis perhaps needs to be placed on the specific stressors of the post-deployment stage, as this was one of the less stressful periods of the deployment experience for the soldiers who deployed to Bosnia. However, levels of PTSD symptoms rose significantly from pre-deployment to post deployment, so this suggests the post-deployment stage is indeed important. Furthermore, levels of post-deployment daily hassles and deployment hassles, together with level of daily hassles at follow-up, were able to predict both PTSD
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symptoms and depression at follow-up. Therefore, it may well be that careful attention to this stage can help to ameliorate the effects of the next stage, the follow up stage.
Daily hassles to the fore at this stage were again relationships with other people, work itself and sex and intimacy. These appear to be unique to deploying on a peacekeeping mission rather than other types of overseas deployment. The same recommendations made for the mid-deployment stage apply, as well as making sure that personnel continue to receive .. Return to NZ" booklets (which contain information on sex and intimacy) several weeks before the end of the deployment.
The deployment hassles were again very similar to mid-deployment but the main concern was information that related to returning to NZ. For example, dates and postings. The provision of up-to-date information with particular emphasis on information about the return to NZ is thus extremely important.
It is further recommended that soldiers complete a PES in order to help screen those who have, or who are at risk of developing, PTSD symptoms. This is important because not only the current study but previous research (e.g de Vries et al, 200 1 ) highlights the importance of early recognition of symptoms. This should be done as soon after the deployment as possible to minimise problems with memory and to ensure that response style is not influenced by the high levels of daily stress that plague soldiers at the follow-up stage.
Finally, the NZDF should try to acknowledge the lessons learned by all returning peacekeepers so that soldiers feel as if they have made a worthwhile contribution and assisted in future missions.
4.9.4 Follow-Up
Results from the current study and previous research suggest that the follow-up stage, six months after return to NZ, is the most important stage for future attention as not
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only were the most frequent and severe daily hassles reported but adverse mental health levels were at their highest. In addition, level of daily stress at this stage, together with levels of daily and deployment stress at the post-deployment stage, was one of the strongest predictors of PTSD symptoms, as well as the strongest predictor of depression symptoms. Furthermore, results from previous research suggest that these effects may last even further into the future than the six month time frame studied in the current research.
It is interesting to note the marked difference between this and the post-deployment stage, whether post-deployment information was gathered at the very end of the deployment as in the current study, or six weeks after the return to NZ, as in MacDonald et al ( 1 999, 1 998 & 1 996). It seems that something about life at home in NZ makes for higher levels of stress and higher levels of adverse mental health and that this may continue for some time. Certainly how settled soldiers feel back into life in NZ is critical to their mental health at this stage as lower levels of settledness predicted both PTSD symptoms and depression at follow-up. This means that efforts to assist soldiers settle back into life in NZ should continue.
By far the most severe and frequent hassles at this stage for those who deployed to Bosnia were issues to do with work (e.g. nature of work, workload, amount of free time, superiors and fellow workers). Once again this is far more of an issue for the returned peacekeepers than any of the control groups and therefore could be said to be unique to returning from a peacekeeping deployment.
Whatever the case, it is important that the NZDF continue to provide support for personnel after they return from peacekeeping duties. This could include assisting personnel to cope with the changes, doing everything possible to ensure high levels of unit cohesion, addressing job design if possible, and continuing to make personnel feel valued for their current contribution. It would also be wise to extend screening measures currently in place to ensure that checks of mental health are made well after returning from peacekeeping duties.
Another result that may help to pinpoint an important aspect of practical focus is that the less satisfied soldiers were with the support their family received during the
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deployment, the higher the level of PTSD symptoms. This means that it is important not only to provide quality assistance to families during deployments but to ensure that soldiers are confident that this is being done.
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