Expanding Behavioral and Occupational Health Research in Military Police

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.