Female Gender and Other Potential Predictors of Functional Health Status Among Persian Gulf War Veterans (Revised)
Abstract
Large numbers of Gulf War veterans have expressed concerns about their physical health. The current project sought to identify and examine the role of a number of potential predictors on two health outcomes reported health symptoms and health functioning. Specifically, the extent to which female gender, psychiatric status (most notably PTSD), and perceived environmental exposure affect physical health were examined. Mailed questionnaires were sent to a previously assessed cohort of 2949 Gulf War veterans. A total of 1280 (1158 men, 122 women; 43.4% response rate) returned completed questionnaires. Attempts to assess and control for bias due to non response are underway. Preliminary results show that although female veterans report more health symptoms than their male counterparts, few if any differences are found for physical health functioning. PTSD and increased levels of perceived environmental exposure, however, predict both an increase in reported health symptoms and decreased health functioning. Furthermore, effects for PTSD and environmental exposure do not appear to differ across gender. These results suggest that Gulf War veterans may be experiencing decrements in functional health, and these decrements are associated with psychological as well as environmental variables.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA362870
Entities
People
- Jessica Wolfe
Organizations
- Tufts University