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This paper reports on the continuation of a study of 84
soldiers from two National Guard units (one medical, one military police)
who had served in the GW. Sixty two of the original 84 who were evaluated
at one and six months completed evaluations at 2 years. Depending upon
the diagnostic criterion used, six or eight veterans met the criteria
for PTSD at 2 years. Mean PTSD scores were higher after two years, particularly
in the medical unit. Most PTSD-specific symptoms had developed by six
months. Scores for symptoms related to hyperarousal (especially startle
responses, sleep disturbance, and irritability) were significantly higher
than scores for symptoms associated with reexperiencing or avoidance.
Limitations of the study were the incompleteness of the study group, dropouts
at two years, reliance on self-reports, and a tendency for subjects to
underreport symptoms. |
