title: Belief in exposure to chemical and biological agents in Persian Gulf War soldiers.
abstract: This is the first longitudinal cohort study of Persian Gulf War US soldiers to examine belief in exposure to chemical and biological weapons before and shortly after combat. A longitudinal sample of n = 1250 male Persian Gulf War US Army soldiers were surveyed 3 to 4 months before and 6 to 10 months after the 1991 War. Six to 10 months after combat, 4.6% of the cohort believed they had been exposed to chemical and biological weapons. Adjusting for demographics only, those who reported a greater number of combat exposures (odds ratio, OR: 18.8), or higher combat stress (OR: 12.27) were more likely to believe they were exposed. Adjusting for all variables soldiers who reported higher combat stress continued to be most likely (OR: 6.58) to believe they had been exposed to chemical and biological weapons. Individuals reporting higher combat stress are at substantially greater risk of reporting they have been exposed to chemical or biological weapons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA. jstuart@usuhs.mil
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stuart
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ursano
authors.forename: Carol S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fullerton
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wessely
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054045:Biological Warfare Agents / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018923:Persian Gulf Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D054045:Biological Warfare Agents; D002619:Chemical Warfare Agents