War zone stress, personal resources, and PTSD in Persian Gulf War returnees

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can occur subsequent to war stress, but not all troops are negatively affected. A discriminant function model was used to study associations between personal and environmental resources and psychological outcomes subsequent to war zone stress. Among 775 Persian Gulf War exposed troops, 2 subsets were identified: 97 with PTSD diagnoses and 484 who had no psychological distress. A discriminant function, double cross-validated in random subsamples, classified 87% of troops, and demographic and stress severity variables did not alter results significantly. Personality hardiness commitment, avoidance coping, and perceived family cohesion emerged as consistent predictors of PTSD diagnosis. Findings suggest personal characteristics and environmental factors may alter vulnerability to negative war stress outcomes. Work is needed to identify mechanisms and causal pathways by which resource factors enhance or lower stress resistance.