Since 2003 about 14 percent of U.S. Army soldiers have been reporting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following deployments. In this paper we examine how symptoms of PTSD or of other mental health conditions are correlated with the probability of divorce among married active duty Army soldiers. For this purpose, we combine Army administrative individual-level longitudinal data on soldiers' deployments, marital history and socio-demographic characteristics with the soldiers' self-reported post-deployment health information, available in the Post-Deployment Health Assessment (PDHA) and Post-Deployment Health Re-Assessment (PDHRA) forms. Our estimates indicate that time spent in deployment is associated with an increase in the divorce risk among Army enlisted personnel and that PTSD symptoms are associated with further increases in the odds of divorce. Although officers are generally less likely to screen positive for PTSD than enlisted personnel, we find a stronger association between PTSD symptoms and divorces among Army officers who are PTSD symptomatic.

"Prepared for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense/Personnel & Readiness"--T.p. "June 2012"--T.p.

Introduction / Empirical framework. Discrete hazard models / Data description and key measures. Deployment and marital histories -- Post-deployment mental health measures / Results. PTSD symptoms and divorces of enlisted personnel -- Impact of socio-demographic characteristics on divorce -- PTSD symptoms and divorce in officer families / Sensitivity analyses and alternative specifications. Single vs. multiple PDHA forms -- Changes in the PDHA form -- Potential endogeneity of PTSD and divorces / Discussion and conclusions.