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Patrick Sloan, Linda Arsenault
Mark Hilsenroth, Molly Mount
James H. Quillen VAMC, Mountain Home, TN
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
This study investigated the extent to which the MMPI-2 was
able to predict the long-term psychological effects of war-related stress
and physical symptoms/health problems in Gulf War veterans. Fifty-one
(n = 51) U.S. Marine reservists were administered a battery of psychological
measures, including the MMPI-2, 3 months after returning home from the
Gulf War. Three years later, these Marines and a control group from the
same unit (N = 79) completed the MMPI-2 and questionnaires of physical
symptoms/health problems. The MMPI-2 and health questionnaires were also
administered to a separate sample of Gulf War veterans seeking outpatient
services at the VAMC for health concerns 3 - 7 years after the war. In
each of three stepwise regression analyses, 22 MMPI-2 variables (validity,
clinical, content, and supplemental scales) were examined in relation
to the number of physical symptoms and health problems reported by each
group at respective points in time.
For the 51 Marines assessed 3 months after the war, the
first stepwise regression analysis generated (in order of variance explained)
the PTSD scale (PS), Psychopathic Deviate (Pd) (negative), Hysteria (Hy),
and Masculinity-Femininity (Mf) (negative) as significant predictors (R
= .65, R2 = .42, F = 8.39, p<.0001) of the number of physical health
problems reported at the 3-year follow-up. The second stepwise regression
analysis (N =79) examined the relationship of the MMPI-2 variables at
the 3-year follow-up assessment with concurrent physical symptoms reported
at 3 years. This analysis revealed (in order of variance explained) three
variables significantly related concurrently to physical symptoms reported
at 3 years (Somatic Complaints (Hy4), Lassitude-Malaise (Hy3), and Psychopathic
Deviate (Pd) (negative) (R = .87, R2 = .75, F = 74.60, p<.0001). The
third stepwise regression analysis was performed with Gulf War veterans
(N = 45) seeking VA services for health concerns. In this group of outpatients,
MMPI-2 variables predicting concurrent physical symptoms reported at time
of evaluation revealed two significant variables (in order of variance
explained), Health Concerns (HEA) and Social Introversion (SI) (R = .71,
R2 = .50, F = 20.99, p<.0001). These finding support the use of the
MMPI-2 as an important assessment tool in measuring the long-term psychological
effects of war-related stress and health concerns in Gulf War veterans.
These data are useful to clinicians in classifying symptoms, developing
treatment strategies, and measuring health outcomes.
KEYWORDS: PTSD, Physical Symptoms, MMPI-2
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