Van Hooff, M.McFarlane, A.Davies, C.Searle, A.Fairweather-Schmidt, A.Verhagen, A.Benassi, H.Hodson, S.2015-02-092015-02-092014European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2014; 5(1):1-122000-80662000-8066http://hdl.handle.net/2440/89164BACKGROUND: The Australian Defence Force (ADF) Mental Health Prevalence and Wellbeing Study (MHPWS) is the first study of mental disorder prevalence in an entire military population. OBJECTIVE: The MHPWS aims to establish mental disorder prevalence, refine current ADF mental health screening methods, and identify specific occupational factors that influence mental health. This paper describes the design, sampling strategies, and methodology used in this study. METHOD: At Phase 1, approximately half of all regular Navy, Army, and Air Force personnel (n=24,481) completed self-report questionnaires. At Phase 2, a stratified sub-sample (n=1,798) completed a structured diagnostic interview to detect mental disorder. Based on data from non-responders, data were weighted to represent the entire ADF population (n=50,049). RESULTS: One in five ADF members met criteria for a 12-month mental disorder (22%). The most common disorder category was anxiety disorders (14.8%), followed by affective (9.5%) and alcohol disorders (5.2%). At risk ADF sub-groups were Army personnel, and those in the lower ranks. Deployment status did not have an impact on mental disorder rates. CONCLUSION: This study has important implications for mental health service delivery for Australian and international military personnel as well as contemporary veterans.en© 2014 Miranda Van Hooff et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported (CC BY 4.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, for any purpose, even commercially, under the condition that appropriate credit is given, that a link to the license is provided, and that you indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.Prevalenceaffectivealcoholanxietymental disordermilitaryJournal article003001115110.3402/ejpt.v5.239500003411398000012-s2.0-8492359795478515Van Hooff, M. [0000-0002-9376-3714]McFarlane, A. [0000-0002-3829-9509]Davies, C. [0000-0001-6595-8656]Searle, A. [0000-0002-8602-0146]Fairweather-Schmidt, A. [0000-0001-9352-9648]