Expanding Behavioral and Occupational Health Research in Military Police

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction It is important to understand the behavioral and occupational health needs of military police personnel, a high-risk and understudied population. Materials and Methods The incidence rates of behavioral and occupational conditions were examined from the years of 2005 to 2021 from the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database. Single-sample chi-square analyses were performed to analyze the differences in the incidence rates across demographic groups relative to population density. Results There were moderate-to-large increases in sleep-related disorders and mood or stress-related disorders. There were also patterns of overrepresentation or underrepresentation in diagnoses of various conditions by sex, age group, marital status, race, service branch, and pay grade. Conclusions It is important to provide tailored resources and programming to employees in high-stress settings to help prevent or manage behavioral and occupational health conditions and reduce the stigma surrounding the utilization of such resources and programs.