A new paper led by Amos Simms has just been published in BMJ Military Health, examining mental health and some of the factors associated with probable common mental disorder among personnel serving in the UK Defence Medical Services (DMS).
DMS personnel occupy a somewhat unusual position within the Armed Forces. They work across military and civilian healthcare environments and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many supported the national response while continuing to meet existing military and operational commitments. Despite this, there has been relatively limited research focused specifically on the mental health of this group.
What did we do?
The DMS CHECK study used an anonymous cross-sectional survey of Defence Medical Services personnel, conducted between October 2021 and February 2022.
The survey included established measures of common mental disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol misuse and suicidal ideation. We also looked at a range of occupational and organisational factors, including perceptions of morale, leadership and cohesion.
In total, 1,531 personnel responded to the survey. You can read the paper here.
What did we find?
Among respondents:
- 43.6% screened positive for probable common mental disorder
- 12.1% screened positive for probable PTSD
- 16.9% met the study threshold for alcohol misuse
- 8.9% reported suicidal ideation within the previous two months
In the fully adjusted analysis, personnel aged under 40 had higher odds of probable common mental disorder than those aged 40 or over. Nurses and medics or paramedics also had higher odds compared with personnel in non-clinical roles.
One of the more important findings was the relationship with the working environment. Less favourable perceptions of morale, leadership and cohesion showed some of the strongest associations with probable common mental disorder.
Alcohol misuse was also associated with higher odds of probable common mental disorder.
Why does this matter?
Mental health support in military populations can understandably focus on identifying individuals experiencing difficulties and ensuring that appropriate care is available. These findings also highlight the importance of looking at the wider organisational environment in which people work.
Leadership, morale and team cohesion are potentially important parts of that picture. The cross-sectional nature of the study means that we cannot establish the direction of these relationships or conclude that organisational factors caused poorer mental health. However, the findings support continued attention to workplace factors alongside individual-level prevention, support and clinical care.
There are also important limitations to consider, particularly the estimated response rate of 30.6%, meaning the findings should not simply be interpreted as prevalence estimates for the entire Defence Medical Services population.
Overall, the study adds further evidence to our understanding of mental health within UK military healthcare personnel and provides a useful basis for continued DMS mental health surveillance and future longitudinal research.
Read the article
The full paper, led by Amos Simms and published in BMJ Military Health:
Simms A, King K, Holland TJ, Lamb D, Lamb D, Greenberg N, Stevelink SAM, Wessely S, Leightley D. DMS CHECK: a cross-sectional study of the mental health of the UK defence medical services, focusing on factors associated with probable common mental disorder. BMJ Military Health. Published online 15 September 2026. doi:10.1136/military-2026-003488.
You can read the paper here.