Anxiety and depression in Marines sent to war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Although the effects of combat deployment on posttraumatic stress disorder have been extensively studied, little is known about the effects of combat deployment on depression and anxiety. This study examined the factors associated with anxiety and depression in a sample of 1560 US Marines who were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Eleven demographic and psychosocial factors were studied in relation to depression and anxiety. Five factors emerged as significant in relation to depression: deployment-related stressors, combat exposure, attitudes toward leadership, mild traumatic brain injury symptoms, and marital status. The same factors, with the exception of marital status, emerged as significant in relation to anxiety. Deployment-related stressors had a stronger association with both depression and anxiety than any other variable, including combat exposure. This finding is important because deployment-related stressors are potentially modifiable by the military.

Factors associated with antisocial behavior in combat veterans.

The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with antisocial behavior in 1,543 Marines who deployed to combat zones in support of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan during 2002-2007. Five factors were associated with antisocial behavior in multivariate analyses: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, deployment-related stressors, combat exposure, younger age, and being divorced. PTSD symptoms had a stronger association with antisocial behavior than any other variable. A unique and important finding of this study was the association between deployment-related stressors and a higher incidence of antisocial behavior. Because deployment-related stressors are potentially modifiable, the military may be able to address them in concrete ways such as by shortening deployments and improving communication with home.

Correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in Marines back from war.

The effect of combat and operational stress on the mental health of military personnel is a major concern. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with possible posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A questionnaire was completed by 1,569 Marines who deployed in support of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan (2002-2007). Using the PTSD Checklist with a cutoff score of 44, 17.1% of the sample screened positive for possible PTSD. Of 9 demographic and psychosocial factors examined in relation to PTSD, 4 were significant in a multivariate analysis: deployment-related stressors, combat exposure, marital status, and education. Deployment-related stressors had a stronger association with PTSD than any other variable. This is an important finding because deployment-related stressors are potentially modifiable.

Collision tumor: invasive ductal carcinoma in association with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma in the same breast.

Synchronous occurrence of multiple neoplastic processes is uncommon and the relationship between breast cancer with lymphoproliferative diseases is unusual as well. Furthermore, breast involvement by malignant lymphoma is a rare event and primary breast mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma is even rarer. We report a patient with synchronous occurrence of malignant lymphoma of MALT type and ductal carcinoma of the breast, presenting as "collision tumor," invading each other and occurring as a single mass in the breast. Involvement of the sentinel lymph node by MALT lymphoma was demonstrated with no evidence of metastatic carcinoma. Staging bone marrow biopsy did not show involvement by malignant lymphoma or carcinoma. Our patient was treated with chemotherapy for the lymphoma. She also received radiotherapy and aromatase inhibitor as adjuvant therapy for the breast carcinoma.