COVID-19: Behavioral Health Assessment Team-View Presentation

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Lieutenant Colonel Vincent Capaldi, a part of the Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, discusses the Behavioral Health Advisory Team COVID-19 (BHAT) in coordination with the Army Public Health Center. This video outlines the objectives of the BHAT team, including providing an overview of the BHAT Military assessment, describing the findings from Phase 1 and Phase 2 data collections, discussing future directions and recommendations based on the BHAT data assessment. The BHAT survey focused on behavioral health concerns and public health issues of soldiers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey had a response rate of approximately 28% and involved over 21,000 active duty soldiers. The data revealed rates of anxiety, depression, and potentially hazardous alcohol consumption comparable to previous studies in non-deployment settings. Sleep problems were prevalent, with most soldiers reporting six or fewer hours of sleep per night. Financial impacts, childcare challenges, and concerns about maintaining mission readiness were identified as significant issues. The video also highlighted the impact of leadership responses to COVID-19 on behavioral health outcomes and emphasized the importance of providing information and resources to soldiers and their families during the pandemic. Recommendations included supporting spouses seeking employment, accommodating childcare challenges, leveraging social media for information dissemination, and developing targeted interventions for vulnerable families. The video also touched on the findings from Phase 2 of the project, including increased suicidal thoughts and concerns about mission readiness. The video concluded by providing contact information for further inquiries and access to the full technical report.

Keywords

BHAT team

soldiers

COVID-19 pandemic

behavioral health concerns

mission readiness

sleep problems

financial impacts

suicidal thoughts