Relationships of Stress Exposures to Health in Gulf War Veterans
Abstract
Despite nearly a decade of research, lack of consensus remains about the precise nature, etiology, and significance of Gulf War veterans' health concerns. No widely accepted case definition for Gulf War illness exists and controversy persists about whether Gulf War veterans symptoms "should be considered primarily a part of a general phenomenon that occurs in every war or a consequence of events and exposures unique to the Gulf War" (Steele, 2001, p. 406). In an effort to further elucidate the nature of ill-health among Gulf War veterans, we conducted a latent class analysis of symptoms reported in the Tenth Anniversary Gulf War Veterans Health Study, a national population-based survey of U.S. Gulf War veterans. Specifically, we sought to identify subgroups of Gulf War veterans with distinct patterns of symptoms and to determine if such subgroups could be distinguished with respect to Gulf War exposures and probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Additionally, we sought to examine the functional consequences of specific patterns of ill-health and probable PTSD ten years after the Persian Gulf War.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA432464
Entities
People
- John A. Fairbank
Organizations
- Duke University Hospital