Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among Gulf War veterans.

This study assessed the prevalence of risk for development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among active duty and reserve veterans from Pennsylvania and Hawaii who either deployed (N = 1,524) or did not deploy (N = 2,727) to the Persian Gulf as a result of Operation Desert Storm. All participants anonymously completed a survey questionnaire that included the Impact of Event Scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Results indicate the likelihood of PTSD symptoms in approximately 8.0% of active duty veterans and 9.3% of reserve veterans who deployed to the Persian Gulf. PTSD risk comparisons are made with other active duty Army veterans assessed 1 year earlier. Sources of trauma are presented and implications for future military deployments on potential risks for developing PTSD are discussed.

Psychological health of Gulf War-era military personnel.

This study assessed the effects of the Persian Gulf War on the psychological health and adjustment of military personnel in Hawaii and Pennsylvania who either deployed (N = 1,524) or did not deploy (N = 2,727) to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. All participants anonymously completed a questionnaire providing information on demographics, psychological and psychosocial health, deployment stressors, current life problems, current distress, and causal attributions of present problems. Results indicate that deployed veterans experienced significant levels of stress in-theater and continue to report significant stress in their lives today. Although considerable stress is experienced, the majority of veterans are handling it unremarkably. Implications for future deployments and the need for military-normed assessment instruments are discussed.

Physical health symptomatology of Gulf War-era service personnel from the states of Pennsylvania and Hawaii.

We present data on physical health and possible "Gulf War syndrome" from a Congressionally mandated study of over 4,000 active duty and reserve service members from the states of Hawaii and Pennsylvania who served during Operation Desert Storm. We found that deployed veterans report significantly more physical health symptoms than non-deployed veterans that cannot be explained by reasons other than deployment alone. We also identified a subgroup of 178 deployed veterans at risk for possible Gulf War syndrome. We recommend that services collect baseline information from units likely to deploy in the future and update that information regularly.