U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard Soldiers’ Motivations for Joining the Military and Their Effects on Post-Deployment Mental Health

The link between combat exposure and mental health among military service members has been well-established, and reservists are at increased risk. This study uses a subset of cross-sectional data (N = 239) from Operation: SAFETY, an ongoing study of U.S. Army Reserve/National Guard soldiers, to examine the moderating effects of reasons for joining the military on the relations between combat exposure and post-deployment mental health symptomatology. Soldiers who served for reasons associated with “wanting a military life” had an increasingly higher likelihood of anxiety symptomatology with greater combat exposure. Conversely, soldiers who served for reasons associated with “wanting material benefits” reported fewer mental health symptoms as combat exposure increased.