Psychological health of Gulf War-era military personnel

This study assessed the effects of the Persian Gulf War on the psychological health and adjustment of military personnel in Hawaii and Pennsylvania who either deployed (N = 1,524) or did not deploy (N = 2,727) to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Ah participants anonymously completed a questionnaire providing information on demographics, psychological and psychosocial health, deployment stressors, current life problems, current distress, and causal attributions of present problems. Results indicate that deployed veterans experienced significant levels of stress intheater and continue to report significant stress in their lives today. Although considerable stress is experienced, the majority of veterans are handling it unremarkably. Implications for future deployments and the need fdr military-normed assessment instruments are discussed.