Deployment-related stress and trauma in Dutch soldiers returning from Iraq. Prospective study.
BACKGROUND
Some questionnaire studies have shown increased mental health problems, including probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in soldiers deployed to Iraq.


OBJECTIVE
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.
Engelhard
Iris M
IM
Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. i.m.engelhard@fss.uu.nl
van den Hout
Marcel A
MA
Weerts
Jos
J
Arntz
Arnoud
A
Hox
Joop J C M
JJ
McNally
Richard J
RJ
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D008890:Military Psychiatry / Q000379:methods; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology