The British Journal of Psychiatry (2007) 191: 140-145. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.034884
© 2007 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Deployment-related stress and trauma in Dutch soldiers returning from Iraq

Prospective study

IRIS M. ENGELHARD, PhD and MARCEL A. VAN DEN HOUT, PhD

Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University

JOS WEERTS, MSc

Veterans Institute, Doorn

ARNOUD ARNTZ, PhD

Department of Medical, Clinical, and Experimental Psychology, Maastricht University

JOOP J. C. M. HOX, PhD

Methodology and Statistics, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

RICHARD J. MCNALLY, PhD

Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Correspondence: Dr Iris M. Engelhard, Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University, PO Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. Email: i.m.engelhard{at}fss.uu.nl

Declaration of interest None. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background Some questionnaire studies have shown increased mental health problems, including probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in soldiers deployed to Iraq.

Aims To test prospectively whether such problems change over time and whether questionnaires provide accurate estimates of deployment-related PTSD compared with a clinical interview.

Methods Dutch infantry troops from three cohorts completed questionnaires before deployment to Iraq (n=479), and about 5 months (n=382, 80%) and 15 months (n=331, 69%) thereafter. Post-traumatic stress disorder was evaluated by questionnaire and clinical interview.

Results There were no group changes for general distress symptoms. The rates of PTSD for each cohort were 21, 4 and 6% based on questionnaires at 5 months. The deployment-related rates of PTSD based on the clinical interview were 4, 3 and 3%.

Conclusions There was a specific effect of deployment on mental health for a small minority. Questionnaires eliciting stress symptoms gave substantial overestimations of the rate of PTSD.


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The British Journal of Psychiatry, June 1, 2009; 194(6): 578 - 578.
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