Life events in health care providers before and during Persian Gulf War deployment: The USNS Comfort

Just before the onset of Operation Desert Storm, health care personnel (N = 250) onboard the USNS Comfort reported the occurrence of life events for t he preceding year, including before deployment and during the Persian Gulf War. Study participants noted both total and negative life events. The mean number of negative life events during the preceding year was 1.44; a sizab le proportion of participants (38%) reported no negative life events during this time. There were no differences in the mean number of total or negati ve life events by gender, although women checked significantly more life ev ent items related to interpersonal factors and men noted more life events c oncerning financial issues. Women, nurses, the childless, and lower ranking officers noted significantly greater negative life events during predeploy ment than deployment. Negative life events were moderately related to anxie ty, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Both research and policy implications are discussed.