Assessment of Combat-Related Stress and Physical Symptoms of Gulf War Veterans: Criterion Validity of Selected Hand Test Variables

Abstract

We examined the utility of selected Hand Test (Wagner, 1983) variables in relation to posttraumatic stress and physical symptoms in Gulf War (GW) veterans. In this study, we sought to replicate and expand on prior empirical findings that have demonstrated efficacy of the Hand Test in the assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Walter, Hilsenroth, Arsenault, Sloan, & Harvill, 1998). Based on this previous research, Hand Test variables were selected a priori and examined across three groups of veterans: (a) a control group of participants who were in a reserve unit not deployed to the GW theater of operations, (b) a subclinical group of deployed GW veterans who reported 1 to 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) criteria for PTSD, and (c) a group of deployed GW veterans who met DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. Analyses demonstrated significant differences across the three groups and significant relationships among selected Hand Test variables with the number of DSM-IV symptoms of PTSD reported in the interviews as well as with the number of physical problems reported by these veterans. We discuss these findings in relation to the assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress symptomatology.

The development of behavioral and endocrine abnormalities in rats after repeated exposure to direct and indirect stress

“…For instance some studies have provided evidence showing adverse experiences during childhood to be a major contributory factor to psychopathology later in life. For example, sexually abused girls developed depression and/or anxiety-related disorders as adults (De Bellis et al 1994; Heim et al 2000; Heim and Nemeroff 2001), while post-traumatic stress disorder in war veterans has been diagnosed long after the termination of the battle (Hilsenroth et al 2005). …”