Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are much higher in private security contractors than in UK military personnel according to a new report – which also identified that private security workers are offered little psychological support.
The US based researchers RAND Corporation have undertaken a survey-based study on the health and well-being of private military and security contractors (PMSCs) – the largest study to date to examine the physical and mental health status and health care use among PMSCs. It is also the first of its kind to examine the issue among all PMSCs.
The authors admit that ‘little is known about the psychological and sociological implications of contrac- tors’ presence in conflict environments’. The researchers noted that ‘help-seeking for mental health challenges remains heavily stigmatised in the contractor community.’ In other words, if you wanted a career in private security you had better not seek help for psychiatric difficulties; you would be seen as weak and unfit to work – much like general civilians. The study concluded that there was ‘ample evidence to support the argument that contractors deployed to conflict zones face mental health and physical challenges that are similar to those of their military counterparts, with whom they often work side by side’.
It showed that, in fact, PTSD rates are more than double for PMSCs, compared to UK military personnel. Other findings are that few private security organisations have psychological support mechanisms in place but those that do fare better in terms of their contractors’ mental health. The report also pointed to the measures an organisation can take to mitigate these mental health risks, including the introduction of a peer support programme.
Academic psychiatrist with King’s College London, who specialises in traumatic stress (including PTSD) and founder of psychological health consultancy March on Stress, Professor Neil Greenberg said: “I very much welcome the important work that the RAND Corporation has carried out to systematically examine the psychological health of private security contractors.
“The psychological health of this important occupational group has previously been under-researched given that they perform an important role in highly challenging conditions. Importantly, as the report states, the majority of security contractors have previously served their nations in the Armed Forces and thus the public should rightly be interested in their mental health. The results of the report show clearly that those who work in the industry report more mental health problems than do their military counterparts who are still serving in the Armed Forces.”
The research also shows that many contractors report being poorly supported by the organisations who are making use of their services and – importantly – contractors who report receiving good support from their employers (in the form of specific trauma related training or mental health briefings) enjoy better mental health.
Professor Greenberg added: “The results strongly suggest that security companies, and those who employ security companies, should do more to ensure that they mitigate the psychological risks associated with working in the industry. I also welcome the suggestions for further research into this topic to ensure that improved support provision is effective.”
The survey was open to contractors of all nationalities who had deployed on contract to an area of conflict at any point from 2011 to 2013, and covered topics such as military history, contractor work history, experience working on contract in a conflict zone, health status, health care use, and demographic information.
A full copy of the 115-page research is available on the RAND website via this link: www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR420.html#key-findings
Or visit http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR420/RAND_RR420.pdf
