POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH PEACEKEEPING DUTY IN SOMALIA FOR US MILITARY PERSONNEL

Objective: The end of the Cold War has marked a period when the U.S. m ilitary is asked to secure peace under conditions in which peace is te nuous, yet the need for resolution of the conflict is great. Combat-tr ained soldiers are highly visible and are exposed to threats to their lives, yet are asked to exhibit restraint and neutrality. The psychiat ric consequences of peace-keeping duty under these conflicting and vol atile conditions have been underresearched. The authors examined the p revalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with expo sure to peacekeeping duty in Somalia. Method: A large cohort of active duty personnel deployed to Somalia (N=3,461) were surveyed approximat ely 5 months after their return to the United States. A variety of mil itary service characteristics and exposure variables and PTSD symptoms were examined. Results: Eight percent of peacekeepers were found to m eet diagnostic criteria for PTSD. PTSD symptom severity was best predi cted by the rewards of military service, war zone stress, and frustrat ions with peacekeeping (e.g., restrictive rules of engagement). Conclu sions: It is likely that the mission in Somalia represents a new parad igm of dangerous military operations for the United States. These data suggest that peacekeeping may be difficult to reconcile for some comb at-trained soldiers and can create a risk for PTSD.