Psychological and physical health effects of sexual assaults and nonsexual traumas among male and female United States Army soldiers.

Lifetime trauma history was assessed in a health study of active duty United States Army soldiers. Five hundred fifty-five male and 573 female soldiers in the sample were asked whether they had ever experienced 14 different potentially traumatic experiences, including sexual assaults, violent stressors to self, and terrifying events that occurred to others and were secondarily traumatic through exposure by gaining information or as a witness to the event. Most soldiers had experienced multiple traumas, and premilitary exposure to events was much more common than exposure to events after entering the military. Global measures of current psychological distress and physical health symptoms were predicted by the lifetime number of sexual assaults and traumas to self. Social support from military unit leaders moderated the relationship between accumulated exposure to traumas and both health measures, whereas unit cohesion was directly associated with fewer mental health problems.

Effects of premilitary and military trauma on the development of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in female and male active duty soldiers.

We surveyed more than 1,000 female and male active duty soldiers to assess the effect of premilitary and military trauma on their psychological well-being. Questionnaire data were obtained on pertinent demographic information, history of trauma exposure, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results indicated significant gender differences in the types of traumatic events experienced, with females reporting more sexual traumas and males reporting more nonsexual traumas. In addition, males reported experiencing more military-related traumas, whereas females reported experiencing more premilitary traumas. The prevalence of PTSD symptoms was 8.6% for females and 5% for males. Recommendations are presented that may help mitigate development of PTSD symptoms in the future.

Psychological health and trauma in male and female soldiers.

This study assessed the effect of premilitary and military trauma on the psychological health of more than 1,000 female and male active duty soldiers. Questionnaire data provided information on demographics, history of trauma exposure, and general psychological health as assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). The results indicated that females reported experiencing more sexual traumas and males reported more nonsexual traumas. BSI subscale scores indicated poorer psychological health among all of the subjects compared with BSI normative groups and other Army soldiers. The need for military norms for the BSI is discussed.

Prevalence and timing of sexual assaults in a sample of male and female U.S. Army soldiers.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess the prevalence and timing of sexual assault experiences in a sample of U.S. Army soldiers. METHODS: Self-administered surveys were completed by 555 male and 573 female soldiers in combat service and combat service support units. RESULTS: One-fifth of the women reported a completed rape (22.6%), and 50.9% of women and 6.7% of men reported any sexual assault. The majority of sexual assaults occurred before the soldiers entered the military, and 25% of women and 1% of men reported an attempted or completed rape during childhood. Sexual assault history also varied by sociodemographic characteristics. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that a history of childhood sexual abuse may be more widespread among female soldiers than among civilian women, and that ascribed and achieved status characteristics may differentially expose soldiers to sexual assaults both before and after they enter the military. Health care assessments should include details of a soldier's sexual assault history.

Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among Gulf War veterans.

This study assessed the prevalence of risk for development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms among active duty and reserve veterans from Pennsylvania and Hawaii who either deployed (N = 1,524) or did not deploy (N = 2,727) to the Persian Gulf as a result of Operation Desert Storm. All participants anonymously completed a survey questionnaire that included the Impact of Event Scale and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Results indicate the likelihood of PTSD symptoms in approximately 8.0% of active duty veterans and 9.3% of reserve veterans who deployed to the Persian Gulf. PTSD risk comparisons are made with other active duty Army veterans assessed 1 year earlier. Sources of trauma are presented and implications for future military deployments on potential risks for developing PTSD are discussed.

Psychological health of Gulf War-era military personnel.

This study assessed the effects of the Persian Gulf War on the psychological health and adjustment of military personnel in Hawaii and Pennsylvania who either deployed (N = 1,524) or did not deploy (N = 2,727) to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. All participants anonymously completed a questionnaire providing information on demographics, psychological and psychosocial health, deployment stressors, current life problems, current distress, and causal attributions of present problems. Results indicate that deployed veterans experienced significant levels of stress in-theater and continue to report significant stress in their lives today. Although considerable stress is experienced, the majority of veterans are handling it unremarkably. Implications for future deployments and the need for military-normed assessment instruments are discussed.

Physical health symptomatology of Gulf War-era service personnel from the states of Pennsylvania and Hawaii.

We present data on physical health and possible "Gulf War syndrome" from a Congressionally mandated study of over 4,000 active duty and reserve service members from the states of Hawaii and Pennsylvania who served during Operation Desert Storm. We found that deployed veterans report significantly more physical health symptoms than non-deployed veterans that cannot be explained by reasons other than deployment alone. We also identified a subgroup of 178 deployed veterans at risk for possible Gulf War syndrome. We recommend that services collect baseline information from units likely to deploy in the future and update that information regularly.

Visual perspective role-taking and field-independence among Anglo American and Mexican American children of two ages.

Ability to take the perspective of another was studied among 97 5 to 6- and 7 to 9-year-old Anglo American and Mexican American boys and girls. These children were administered seven perceptual role-taking tasks and the Children's Embedded Figures Test of field-independence. Results indicated no significant cultural differences. Results were contrary to previous findings in three aspects: (a) children were able to take the role of another younger than originally theorized by Piaget; (b) role-taking and field-independence were not significantly related when age is controlled; and (c) low and inconsistent correlations among the visual perspective role-taking tasks indicate that visual perspective role-taking is not an established unidimensional construct.