title: The health effects of peace-keeping in the UK Armed Forces: Bosnia 1992-1996. Predictors of psychological symptoms.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peace-keeping duties are associated with unique stresses for military personnel. There have been few reports on the effects of peace-keeping on psychological health.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from a cross-sectional study originally established to examine health effects of service in the Gulf War, which included a control group who had been deployed in Bosnia (N= 2049). This group was examined to establish which demographic, occupational, and deployment-related risk factors were associated with psychological distress measured on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and stress symptoms akin to a post-traumatic stress reactions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main risk factors for stress symptoms in the Bosnia group were--lower rank, being deployed early in the campaign, having more deployment-related exposures, and serving on staff duties. There was no protective effect of previous deployments to the Falklands or Northern Ireland, and time off following deployment was not protective. For GHQ-12 cases, the main risk factors were: female gender, lower rank, increased deployment-related exposures and serving on staff duties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that stress symptoms and GHQ-12 cases, are strongly predicted both by experiences during deployment and demographic factors.
authors.affiliation: Gulf War Illness Research Unit, Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College, London.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hotopf
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hull
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Unwin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wessely
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*