Psychological and Psychosocial Consequences of Combat and Deployment With Special Emphasis on the Gulf War
Abstract
This report investigates the possibility (i.e., that stress might have played a role in some of the undiagnosed illnesses among Persian Gulf War veterans (PGWV)), but the task is complex because the relationship between stress and physical and psychological symptoms is complex. The physical and psychological interact with each other, serving as both cause and effect. Individual differences make the task of teasing out cause from effect even more difficult. Two soldiers exposed to the same combat situation may react very differently. Also, how they react is shaped, in part, by cultural influences, which vary over time. The medical profession itself adds yet another layer of complexity. Doctors do not practice medicine in a vacuum. They are part of a culture and a profession, each of which may shape the way they respond to a patient's symptoms. In some instances, these anthropological influences have led to a search for a singular cause of the undiagnosed symptoms of Gulf War veterans. Furthermore, the veterans themselves are subject to cultural influences that condition their own responses to their illnesses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA387197
Entities
People
- David H. Marlowe
Organizations
- RAND Corporation