TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and predictors of discharge in United States Air Force Basic Military Training
AU - Talcott, G. Wayne
AU - Haddock, C. Keith
AU - Klesges, Robert C.
AU - Lando, Harry
AU - Fiedler, Edna
PY - 1999/4
Y1 - 1999/4
N2 - The purpose of the current investigation was to determine the prospective predictors of discharge in a population of individuals entering U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT). Subjects were 32,144 consecutive individuals entering Air Force BMT. In the first week, subjects filled out a comprehensive lifestyle and behavioral assessment. Over time, a total of 1,999 subjects (6.2%) dropped out of BMT for a variety of reasons, the most common being medical (33.6%), psychiatric (21.3%), legal (20%), and poor performance (13.1%). Overall, discharges by gender were equal, but the reasons for discharge varied by gender. Ethnicity predicted for medical, psychiatric, and legal discharge. Results suggest that women and ethnic minorities are not biased in favor of discharge and that both lifestyle and psychosocial variables are consistent predictors of discharge. Future research could potentially yield other significant predictors of success versus discharge in the U.S. military.
AB - The purpose of the current investigation was to determine the prospective predictors of discharge in a population of individuals entering U.S. Air Force Basic Military Training (BMT). Subjects were 32,144 consecutive individuals entering Air Force BMT. In the first week, subjects filled out a comprehensive lifestyle and behavioral assessment. Over time, a total of 1,999 subjects (6.2%) dropped out of BMT for a variety of reasons, the most common being medical (33.6%), psychiatric (21.3%), legal (20%), and poor performance (13.1%). Overall, discharges by gender were equal, but the reasons for discharge varied by gender. Ethnicity predicted for medical, psychiatric, and legal discharge. Results suggest that women and ethnic minorities are not biased in favor of discharge and that both lifestyle and psychosocial variables are consistent predictors of discharge. Future research could potentially yield other significant predictors of success versus discharge in the U.S. military.
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U2 - 10.1093/milmed/164.4.269
DO - 10.1093/milmed/164.4.269
M3 - Article
C2 - 10226453
AN - SCOPUS:0033044485
SN - 0026-4075
VL - 164
SP - 269
EP - 274
JO - Military medicine
JF - Military medicine
IS - 4
ER -