Stress, Behavior and Health: Developing a Model for Predicting Post-Deployment Morbidity, Mortality and Other Adverse Outcomes
Abstract
The principal goal of this project is to document the utility of the Total Army Injury and Health Outcomes Database (TAIHOD) in measuring deployment-related health outcomes and risk factors for adverse health events. A secondary effort is to link self-reports of stress and subsequent increases in morbidity. In our first year we have demonstrated the utility of the TAIHOD in assessing baseline (prewar) characteristics of deployed and non-deployed Gulf War era veterans, information critical to the interpretation of postwar differences between these two groups. We have identified potential sources of threats to internal validity with regard to studying rates of illness hospitalizations among deployed and non-deployed veterans. We are exploring ways to use the TAIHOD to evaluate data quality -- information important to several Gulf War health researchers and which has led to our collaboration with several other federally funded Gulf War health researchers. We found no evidence of excess stress or distress among deployed veterans in the period prior to deployment, although there is evidence of greater risk-taking. We are focusing our efforts on postwar behavior changes and self-reported experiences of stressors and distress in order to identify possible links between these factors and Gulf War Illnesses.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADB251569
Entities
People
- Jeffrey O. Williams
- Laura Senier
- Michelle M. Yore
- Nicole S. Bell
- Paul J. Amoroso