TRAUMA-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS OF OPERATION DESERT-STORM - A 2-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Objective: This study was a 2-year follow-up in an ongoing prospective examination of development of trauma-related symptoms over time in a community group of veterans of Operation Desert Storm. Method: Sixty-t wo National Guard reservists, from one medical and one military police unit, completed the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumati c Stress Disorder and a DSM-III-R-based posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom scale 1 month, 6 months, and 2 years after returning fr om the Middle East. Differences in symptom severity over time were ana lyzed by using repeated measure analyses of variance. Results: Scores on the Mississippi scale, but not the DSM-III-R PTSD scale, increased significantly over time. Symptoms of hyperarousal were more severe at all time points than were symptoms of reexperiencing or avoidance. Lev el of combat exposure, as reflected by the Desert Storm trauma questio nnaire, was significantly associated with the score on the Mississippi scale at 2 years but not a 1 month or 6 months. All subjects who met the Mississippi scale's diagnostic criteria for PTSD at 1 or 6 months still met the criteria at 2 years. Conclusions: Although symptoms were relatively mild, there was an overall increase in PTSD symptoms over 2 years. The statistical relationship between level of combat exposure and PTSD symptoms at 2 years, and not before, suggests that it may ta ke time for the consequences of traumatic exposure to become apparent. Moreover, degree of exposure may be important in predicting the event ual development of symptoms. Continued follow-up will address the evol ution of PTSD symptoms in Gulf War veterans.