Military Veterans’ psychological health and physical activity following separation from service

Abstract: The transition from military to civilian life can bring about substantive challenges for United States (U.S.) veterans. The purpose of this study was to examine veterans’ trajectories of psychological health prior to and following separation, and to examine whether veterans who engaged in more physical activity would report better psychological health over time. Methods Longitudinal data between 2001-2016 from the Millennium Cohort Study were analyzed, which consisted of U.S. military personnel who separated from service, followed up every 3-5 years. Veterans (N = 37, 464, Mage = 36.3, SD = 10.9 at baseline) who had self-report data collected prior to and on at least two timepoints following separation were analyzed. Psychological health was measured with self-reported mental health-related quality of life, depressive symptoms, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Physical activity was measured using self-reported minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Parallel process latent growth modelling was used to examine the relationship between physical activity and psychological health. Results Results revealed decreases in psychological health following separation. Veterans with higher pre-separation physical activity were more likely to display steeper trajectories of decreased physical activity and psychological health post-separation. In contrast, veterans who engaged in higher levels of physical activity post-separation displayed increases in psychological health following separation. Conclusions Findings suggest that high levels of physical activity during service may not protect against worsened psychological health trajectories post-separation. However, the results provide support for the potential protective factor of physical activity post-separation on psychological health symptoms following separation.