Effect of military operation types on dual factors of mental health in Chinese veterans: mediating role of psychological quality

To explore the effects of military operation types on the mental health of Chinese veterans and the mediating role of psychological quality based on a dual-factor model of mental health.

Cross-sectional study design was adopted in this study. Self-designed demographic information questionnaire, patient health questionnaire depression module-9 item (PHQ-9), general anxiety disorder-7(GAD-7), satisfaction with life scale and psychological quality questionnaire were used to survey on 3 027 Chinese veterans.

① Compared to the one-factor model and the two-factor models with other indicators, the dual-factor model of mental health, with anxiety symptoms as a negative indicator and life satisfaction as a positive indicator, fitted better (Chi-square/df=8.927, GFI=0.974, AGFI=0.962, RMSEA=0.051, NNFI=0.985, IFI=0.988, CFI=0.988).②Taking the subjects who did not participate in war/non-war military operations as the reference, psychological quality showed significant relatively mediating effects between war and life satisfaction, and between war and anxiety symptoms (P < 0.05), while no such significances were observed in the corresponding ones for non-war military operations.③ War could decrease veterans'life satisfaction through full mediation of cognitive, adaptive and personality dimensions of psychological quality, and increase anxiety symptoms through partial mediation of the personality dimension of psychological quality.

The dual-factor model of mental health is applicable to Chinese veteran population, and psychological quality plays a mediating role between war and mental health.