Research Catalog

Title

The Air Force Deployment Transition Center : assessment of program structure, process, and outcomes / Terry L. Schell, Coreen Farris, Jeremy N.V. Miles, Jennifer Sloan, Deborah M. Scharf.

Author

Schell, Terry L., 1967-

Publication

• Santa Monica, Calif. : RAND Corporation, [2016]
• ©2016

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

• Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury (U.S.), sponsoring body.
• Farris, Coreen,
• McCombs, Jennifer Sloan, 1970-
• Miles, Jeremy, 1968-
• National Defense Research Institute (U.S.)
• Scharf, Deborah M.,
• United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Secretary of Defense, sponsoring body.

Description

xvii, 79 pages : illustrations; 28 cm

Summary

"It is often accepted as common knowledge that military personnel benefit from decompression time between a war zone and the home station. To capitalize on the potential benefits of a decompression period paired with support services, the U.S. Air Force established the Deployment Transition Center (DTC) at Ramstein Air Base in Germany in July 2010. The DTC provides airmen returning from combat missions with an opportunity to decompress and share lessons learned before returning to their home stations. The authors of this report evaluate the structure, processes, and outcomes of the DTC program. They find that, although a majority of participants found the DTC program worthwhile, a comparison of DTC participants and similar airmen who did not participate the program shows no evidence that the program helps reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, depressive symptoms, binge drinking, or social conflicts with family and coworkers. In addition, one of the DTC program elements appears to be similar to posttraumatic debriefing interventions, which several studies have found to be either ineffective or harmful. For these reasons, if the main goals of the DTC program are to improve behavioral health and social conflict outcomes, the authors recommend that the DTC program be discontinued or redesigned and Air Force resources invested in alternative programs. However, if the DTC program has other goals, such as providing rest and relaxation to airmen after a difficult deployment or capturing after-action information, then the authors recommend that these goals be documented and the DTC program be more specifically tailored to them"--Publisher's description.

Subject

• Armed Forces > Officials and employees
• Career changes
• Career changes > United States
• Combat Disorders > prevention & control
• Depression, Mental > Prevention
• Depression, Mental > Prevention
• Mental Health Services
• Military Personnel > psychology
• Post-traumatic stress disorder > Prevention
• Post-traumatic stress disorder > Prevention
• Program Evaluation
• United States
• United States. Air Force
• United States. Air Force > Officials and employees
• United States. Air Force
• Veterans > Medical care
• Veterans > Medical care > United States
• Veterans > Mental health services
• Veterans > Mental health services > United States
• Veterans > Services for
• Veterans > Services for > United States

Note

• "RR-918-OSD"--Cover page 4.
• At head of title: RAND National Defense Research Institute.
• "Prepared for Office of the Secretary of Defense and the defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury."

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-79).

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Evaluation approach and program description -- Review of reintegration and PTSD prevention programs -- Participant satisfaction with the deployment transition center -- The effects of DTVC attendance on psychological symptoms, alcohol use, and social conflict : a propensity score-based approach -- Conclusions and recommendations.

ISBN

• 9780833095404
• 0833095404

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library