Table 4.
Perceived problems with mental health treatment among veterans who screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depression, or alcohol misusea
| Probable alcohol misuse (N=162) | Probable PTSD or major depression (N=181) | Alcohol misuse and PTSD or major depressi (N=132) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problemb | N | % | N | % | N | % | p |
| I don't want to be prescribed medicationsc | 105 | 65.6 | 125 | 68.8 | 94 | 71.1 | |
| It's up to me to work out my own problemsc | 105 | 65.2 | 121 | 66.5 | 108 | 81.7 | <.01 |
| It might harm my careerd | 69 | 43.3 | 116 | 63.9 | 84 | 63.7 | <.001 |
| I don't want to talk about my war experiencec | 62 | 38.5 | 116 | 63.7 | 103 | 77.8 | <.001 |
| I am concerned about the cost of treatmente | 73 | 45.7 | 99 | 54.4 | 74 | 56.3 | |
| My unit leadership/employer might treat me differentlyd | 69 | 43.1 | 114 | 63.0 | 84 | 63.4 | <.001 |
| I would be seen as weak by othersd | 66 | 41.2 | 108 | 59.8 | 95 | 72.2 | <.001 |
| My unit/coworkers might have less confidence in med | 63 | 39.0 | 113 | 62.1 | 83 | 63.1 | <.001 |
| I don't think treatment will help mec | 74 | 46.3 | 81 | 44.9 | 78 | 59.1 | |
| Treatment would make me feel down on myselfc | 64 | 40.0 | 80 | 44.1 | 86 | 64.9 | <.001 |
| I just don't have the timee | 72 | 45.1 | 85 | 47.1 | 78 | 59.1 | <.05 |
| It's hard getting time off work for treatmente | 53 | 33.3 | 98 | 54.3 | 76 | 57.4 | <.001 |
| I don't trust mental health professionalsc | 46 | 28.8 | 79 | 43.4 | 64 | 48.3 | <.01 |
| Visits would not remain confidentialc | 51 | 31.4 | 76 | 41.8 | 62 | 47.0 | <.05 |
| I don't know where to go for helpe | 53 | 33.4 | 57 | 31.2 | 54 | 41.1 | |
| It is difficult getting childcaree | 18 | 10.9 | 49 | 27.4 | 38 | 29.1 | <.001 |
| I don't have adequate transportatione | 18 | 11.4 | 22 | 12.2 | 28 | 21.2 | <.05 |
Women constituted 33% of the sample, whereas their proportion in the active military at the time of data collection was 15.6%. Data were weighted to reflect the latter proportion, which involved adjusting the sample of 1,388 to a weight-adjusted 1,102.
Item instructions: “Veterans may face obstacles getting or using mental health services for a number of reasons. Please rate how much you agree or disagree with each statement as it applies to you.” The values indicate the number and percentage who strongly or somewhat agreed.
Perception of treatment effectiveness
Perception related to stigma
Perception related to external barriers