BACKGROUND: Some questionnaire studies have shown increased mental health problems, including probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in soldiers deployed to Iraq. AIMS: 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.
BACKGROUND: Some questionnaire studies have shown increased mental health problems, including probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in soldiers deployed to Iraq. AIMS: 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.
Authors: Michael J Telch; Christopher G Beevers; David Rosenfield; Han-Joo Lee; Albert Reijntjes; Robert E Ferrell; Ahmad R Hariri Journal: World Psychiatry Date: 2015-06 Impact factor: 49.548
Authors: Anke Ehlers; Oliver Suendermann; Inga Boellinghaus; Anna Vossbeck-Elsebusch; Matthias Gamer; Emma Briddon; Melanie Walwyn Martin; Edward Glucksman Journal: Int J Psychophysiol Date: 2010-05-05 Impact factor: 2.997
Authors: Geert E Smid; Rolf J Kleber; Arthur R Rademaker; Mirjam van Zuiden; Eric Vermetten Journal: Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol Date: 2013-05-29 Impact factor: 4.328