Life events and symptomatic recovery of army spouses following Operation Desert Storm.

The relation between life events and psychiatric symptoms among wives of soldiers deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm (ODS) was examined. Psychiatric symptoms were measured, using the 25-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL), at two times, once while the soldiers were away and a second time several months after they returned. In a multiple regression analysis, symptoms at Time 2 were predicted by post-Desert Storm events as well as by events and emotional stressors that occurred during the military operation. The strongest predictor of post-Desert Storm events was pre-Desert Storm events. The impact of the deployment was also assessed on the basis of respondents' symptom profiles over time. Although 70% of the respondents were symptomatic during the deployment, 40% had recovered by Time 2; only 24% were symptomatic at both times. Even in the latter group, there was an improvement in symptoms between Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2).