TRAUMA-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN VETERANS OF OPERATION DESERT-STORM - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Objective: This study was designed to examine prospectively the develo pment of trauma-related symptoms over time in two reserve units of Ope ration Desert Storm veterans. Method: One month and 6 months after ret urning from the Persian Gulf area, 84 National Guard reservists, from one medical unit and one military police unit, completed questionnaire s on their exposure to combat and to specific stressors and rated the severity of their symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on two different scales. Differences in symptom severity at the two time points were analyzed. Results: Scores on the Mississippi Scale for Com bat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but not severity ratings o n a symptom scale based on DSM-III-R PTSD criteria, increased signific antly from the 1-month to the 6-month rating time. At both time points , symptoms of hyperarousal were more severe than symptoms of reexperie ncing or avoiding trauma-related events. Level of exposure to combat, as reflected by the Combat Exposure Scale and a Desert Storm trauma qu estionnaire, was significantly associated with score on the Mississipp i PTSD scale. There were no significant differences in combat exposure and PTSD symptoms between the male and female subjects or between the medical and police units. Conclusions: These preliminary findings sug gest that a high percentage of Desert Storm veterans experienced some trauma-related symptoms after returning to the United States. Six mont hs after the war, these symptoms, although relatively mild, bad not si gnificantly improved in this study group as a whole. For research on l onger-term outcome, follow-up of these 84 reservists continues.