Impact of war on American adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The impact of the Persian Gulf war on adolescents in Columbia, Charleston, and Sumter, SC.


METHODS
Four semiannual surveys measured adolescents' exposure to and evaluations of the Persian Gulf war, and the relationship between this exposure and mental distress.


RESULTS
Of the sample, 814 (65.9%) reported being distressed by the war and 849 (69%) reported feeling better after the war ended. More than half the sample had a friend or relative sent to the war (n = 725, 58.8%), and of these, 458 were African American. Nine percent (n = 111) of the sample had a mother, father, or both a mother and a father in the war.


CONCLUSIONS
There was a positive correlation between adolescents' ratings on the Negative Impact of War Scores and Mental Distress Scores despite the easy victory and public support for the war in the United States. Females and African Americans viewed the war more negatively than did Caucasian males.
Hardin
Sally Brosz
SB
University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, USA. HardinS@MSX.UMSL.edu
Hayes
Eileen
E
Cheever
Kerry H
KH
Addy
Cheryl
C
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D044383:Black People; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008877:Middle East; D008889:Military Personnel; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012737:Sex Factors; D013022:South Carolina; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D014481:United States; D014857:Warfare