Assessment of Psychological Distress in Persian Gulf Troops: Ethnicity and Gender Comparisons

Abstract

This study reports results of psychological assessment among military participants in Operation Desert Storm, a more diverse ethnic and gender mix of American troops than has been mobilized for previous military operations. Symptoms of current psychological distress, including negative mood states, somatic complaints, and posttraumatic stress disorder, in addition to personal and trauma characteristics, were measured in 653 Persian Gulf war-zone-exposed and 259 stateside-duty troops to test the hypothesis that ethnic minority status and female gender are associated with greater levels of psychological distress following war-zone duty. Findings point to potentially negative sequelae to war-zone stress in a portion of troops and suggest that ethnic minorities, but not necessarily women, may be more vulnerable to psychological risk.