Early psychosocial intervention following operational deployment: analysis of a free text questionnaire response.

BACKGROUND United Kingdom Armed Forces personnel currently undertake arduous operational tours that can make homecoming psychologically challenging. To assist them in this transition, they undergo a process of "decompression" before returning to their base unit. This article reports their subjective impression of the process. METHODS Personnel completed a brief survey at the end of the decompression process conducted in Cyprus in 2008 and this study reports the analysis of the free text element of the questionnaire. RESULTS 6,734 comments were available for analysis from a total of 11,304 questionnaires. Although responses were largely positive, significant numbers indicated that decompression could be improved by allowing personnel more choice, improving air transport out of theatre, and greater flexibility in harmonizing decompression activities with the operational role and military characteristics of decompressing units. CONCLUSION Although decompression is generally viewed positively by participants, elements of the process could be further developed to improve acceptability.