Mental health screening of Iranian conscripts during basic military training in Guilan province

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, the mental health of 930 conscripts (mean age of 19.78 ± 1.57 years old) was assessed using a 28-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-28), during basic military training. Acquired data were analyzed using the chi-squared test (α =  0.01).

Results: Of the participants, 35.2% were identified as potential at risk conscripts. There was a significant difference in participants’ age and education level regarding mental health (P = .007 and .005, respectively). No significance was found on marital status (P = .483). Concerning subscales, 30.6% had physical symptoms, 38.5% had anxiety and insomnia, 54.2% had social dysfunction and 20.9% had severe   depression.

Conclusion: To prevent symptom exacerbation of at risk conscripts and to reduce treatment costs of military training bases, it is recommended that psychological assessment be done before conscription,  not  during it.