Behavioral Health Adjustment in Reserve Component Soldiers During a Noncombat Deployment to Africa Maurice L. Sipos Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland Michael D. Wood U.S. Army Medical Research Unit–Europe, Sembach, Germany Lyndon A. Riviere Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland Amy B. Adler U.S. Army Medical Research Unit–Europe, Sembach, Germany This study benchmarked rates of mental health problems, adjustment difficulties, and perceptions of unit climate among 505 U.S. soldiers (primarily National Guard) deployed to the Horn of Africa in 2012. In addition, the study examined whether differences across these outcomes exist between combat veterans (n = 239) and noncombat veterans (n = 242). Rates of mental health problems among soldiers on this noncombat deployment were lower than rates typically found among soldiers on combat deployments. Furthermore, soldiers without previous combat experience had lower rates of mental health problems and aggression than combat veterans. Similar differences were evident when adjustment difficulties and unit climate variables were compared. Although combat veterans could be valuable in training new soldiers, the results of this study indicate that combat veterans may need more targeted resources to facilitate their adjustment if they are to be optimally utilized. Keywords: National Guard soldiers, behavioral health, unit climate, attitudes, combat history Numerous studies have documented the ef- fects of combat on the mental health and adjust- ment of soldiers (Hoge et al., 2004). These studies have shown that combat deployment and combat experiences are associated with in- creased rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety (Hoge et al., 2004; Thomas et al., 2010); anger and aggres- sion (Elbogen et al., 2010; Thomas et al., 2010); alcohol problems (Wilk et al., 2010); and sleep problems (Luxton et al., 2011; Seelig et al., 2010). Furthermore, studies have identified dif- ficulties with the overall transition home, in- cluding problems with risky driving, other risk- taking behaviors (Adler, Britt, Castro, McGurk, & Bliese, 2011), and relationship difficulties (Riviere & Merrill, 2011). Soldiers from Army National Guard units have been found to be at elevated risk for mental health problems after deployment (Thomas et al., 2010; Wolfe, Erick- son, Sharkansky, King, & King, 1999). Given the potential challenges soldiers face when returning from combat, the question re- mains as to whether combat experiences affect future military service. Although some research has demonstrated that soldiers returning from combat deployments are at greater risk for men- Maurice L. Sipos, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland; Michael D. Wood, U.S. Army Medical Research Unit–Europe, Walter Reed Army Insti- tute of Research, Sembach, Germany; Lyndon A. Riviere, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Amy B. Adler, U.S. Army Medical Research Unit–Europe, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense. This study was funded by the Military Operational Re- search Program, U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. The authors thank Rachel Eckford, Carla Kreilein, Angela Salvi, and Paul Kim for their technical assistance. Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- dressed to Maurice L. Sipos, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. E-mail: maurice.l.sipos.mil@mail.mil This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Military Psychology © 2014 American Psychological Association 2014, Vol. 26, Nos. 5-6, 409 – 421 0899-5605/14/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/mil0000058 409