title: Prevalence and correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder among Kuwaiti military men according to level of involvement in the first Gulf War.
abstract: First, to compare the prevalence and intensity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Kuwaiti military men, divided into four groups (50 subjects each) according to degree of exposure to war trauma: (1) the retired (retired before the invasion); (2) an active-in-the-army group (AIA) (involved in duties at the rear only); (3) an in-battle (IB) group (involved in combat); and (4) prisoners of war (POWs-captured during combat). Second, to compare the severity of impact of event, comorbid depression, and anxiety among the groups. Third, to evaluate the contribution of self-esteem and locus of control (LOC). Subjects were interviewed once, 6 years after the war, using: the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale; the Impact of Event Scale (IES); the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25; the Internal-External LOC; and The Self-Esteem Scale. Subjects were aged 24-71 years (mean 37.9). Sixty-three subjects (31.5%) fulfilled criteria for PTSD, with the rate significantly higher among the POWs (48%) than the retired (24%) and IB (22%), reflecting the severity of IES. Avoidance symptoms were the most pronounced. Self-esteem was significantly lowest among the POWs and those with PTSD. External LOC was associated with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Self-esteem was the only covariate of PTSD scores. LOC was a significant covariate for anxiety. The characteristics of PTSD in these veterans showed similarity with those from elsewhere. The prominence of self-esteem and avoidance symptoms implies that they should be part of focus for interventions. Focus on LOC should be from the perspective of anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of Education, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training, Safat, Kuwait.
authors.forename: Fawziyah A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Al-Turkait
authors.forename: Jude U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Ohaeri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D047830:Gulf War; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult