This work was supported by US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (DAMD 17-03-0020; HSRRB Log No. A-11815) and VA Clinical Sciences Research and Development awards. The work was also supported in part by resources provided by the VA South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and U.S. Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine. The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (Fort Detrick, MD) is the awarding and administering acquisition office for DAMD 17-03-0020. We are especially grateful to the soldiers who donated their time to participate in the study and the efforts of the key military personnel who facilitated conduct of the study for their units. The study would not have been possible without the high level of support provided by the US Army Forces Command, Command Surgeon's Office in identifying and facilitating access to participating military units. We thank Dr. Brian Marx for his review of an earlier draft of the manuscript, Dr. Helen MacDonald for project management, Ms. Anna Graefe for her assistance with manuscript preparation, the many examiners who volunteered their time toward the conduct of the study, and Time 1 to Time 2 Study Coordinators, Ms. Gina Clausi, Ms. Deborah Arant-Daigle, and Dr. Amy Reggio. Some of the work was completed at the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System, New Orleans, LA, the Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, and the Tulane University Department of Psychology. The content of this article does not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the government, and no official endorsement should be inferred.
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Regular Article/Psychological Consequences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
PTSD symptom increases in Iraq-deployed soldiers: Comparison with nondeployed soldiers and associations with baseline symptoms, deployment experiences, and postdeployment stress†
Article first published online: 4 FEB 2010
DOI: 10.1002/jts.20487
Copyright © 2010 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Issue
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Journal of Traumatic Stress
Special Issue: Psychological Consequences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 41–51, February 2010
Additional Information
How to Cite
Vasterling, J. J., Proctor, S. P., Friedman, M. J., Hoge, C. W., Heeren, T., King, L. A. and King, D. W. (2010), PTSD symptom increases in Iraq-deployed soldiers: Comparison with nondeployed soldiers and associations with baseline symptoms, deployment experiences, and postdeployment stress. J. Traum. Stress, 23: 41–51. doi: 10.1002/jts.20487
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Publication History
- Issue published online: 18 FEB 2010
- Article first published online: 4 FEB 2010
- Abstract
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- Cited By
Abstract
This prospective study examined: (a) the effects of Iraq War deployment versus non-deployment on pre- to postdeployment change in PTSD symptoms and (b) among deployed soldiers, associations of deployment/postdeployment stress exposures and baseline PTSD symptoms with PTSD symptom change. Seven hundred seventy-four U.S. Army soldiers completed self-report measures of stress exposure and PTSD symptom severity before and after Iraq deployment and were compared with 309 soldiers who did not deploy. Deployed soldiers, compared with non-deployed soldiers, reported increased PTSD symptom severity from Time 1 to Time 2. After controlling for baseline symptoms, deployment-related stressors contributed to longitudinal increases in PTSD symptoms. Combat severity was more strongly associated with symptom increases among active duty soldiers with higher baseline PTSD symptoms.