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Deployment-related stress and trauma in Dutch soldiers returning from Iraq. Prospective study
Iris M Engelhard1, Marcel A van den Hout, Jos Weerts
1Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. i.m.engelhard@fss.uu.nl
Background:
Some questionnaire studies have shown increased mental health problems, including probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in soldiers deployed to Iraq.
Aims:
To test prospectively whether such problems change over time and whether questionnaires provide accurate estimates of deployment-related PTSD compared with a clinical interview.
Methods:
Dutch infantry troops from three cohorts completed questionnaires before deployment to Iraq (n=479), and about 5 months (n=382, 80%) and 15 months (n=331, 69%) thereafter. Post-traumatic stress disorder was evaluated by questionnaire and clinical interview.
Results:
There were no group changes for general distress symptoms. The rates of PTSD for each cohort were 21, 4 and 6% based on questionnaires at 5 months. The deployment-related rates of PTSD based on the clinical interview were 4, 3 and 3%.
Conclusions:
There was a specific effect of deployment on mental health for a small minority. Questionnaires eliciting stress symptoms gave substantial overestimations of the rate of PTSD.
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