The association between a priori dietary patterns and psychological disorders in military personnel

BACKGROUND: Studies have identified a high prevalence of poor mental health, including depression, anxiety, and stress in military occupations. A low quality diet is one of the potential factors related to mental disorders. This study aimed to investigate the association of a priori dietary patterns, including dietary approach to stop hypertension (DASH), the Mediterranean diet (MD), dietary inflammatory index (DII), and healthy eating index-2015 (HEI-2015) with the odds of depression, anxiety, and stress in military staff. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on a total of 400 military staff, aged 38.67 ± 5.22 (ranging from 30 to 60) years, recruited from Iranian military centers. The dietary intake of participants and adherence to the DASH, MD, DII, and HEI-2015 was measured using a 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Mental health was evaluated with the use of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale − 21 (DASS-21). RESULTS: The prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress was 64.5%, 63.2%, and 61.3%, respectively. Individuals with the highest adherence to HEI-2015, compared to those with the lowest adherence, were significantly at lower odds of anxiety (OR = 0.51, 95%CI: 0.27–0.96, p = 0.03), while higher adherence to DII was related to a 2.74-fold increased odds of anxiety (OR = 2.74, 95%CI: 1.06–7.04, p = 0.03). Compared to those with the lowest adherence (quartile 1), quartile 2 of the HEI-2015 was associated with decreased odds of stress (p = 0.04). No association was identified between dietary patterns and depression. CONCLUSION: Greater adherence to HEI-2015 and lower adherence to DII are associated with lower odds of anxiety in military staff. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12888-023-04650-x.