The effects of prior combat experience on the expression of somatic and affective symptoms in deploying soldiers

Mental health diagnoses and utilization of VA non-mental health medical services among returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

“…6 Third, mental disorders and PTSD may cause biological and behavioral changes that increase the risk of physical disease, leading to greater medical utilization. 28 , 29,[12][13][14][30][31][32][33][34] Finally, there may be an increased likelihood of detection of medical problems in veterans with mental health problems, for example, through symptoms identified by mental health providers. Veterans with comorbid mental and physical problems may also be more likely to enroll in primary care, which could lead to increased utilization of other services, such as preventive screening through laboratory and diagnostic tests.…”

Symptom attribution and symptom reporting in Australian Gulf War veterans

“…Thus, there were substantial health concerns for Gulf War veterans. Increasing military psychological stressors were also associated with symptom reporting in Australian Gulf War veterans [21], and combat experience has also been associated with higher rates of vague somatic complaints in US personnel deployed to Iraq [36]. Thus, combat exposures may affect awareness of and attention to symptom experience and individuals' inclination to report symptoms.…”

Buffering Effects of Benefit Finding in a War Environment

“…Soldier combat experiences were assessed using 28 items based on previous scales evaluating the effects of combat in Iraq (Cabrera, Hoge, Bliese, Castro, & Messer, 2007;Hoge et al, 2004;Killgore, Stetz, Castro, & Hoge, 2006). For example, soldiers were asked to answer questions such as whether they experienced any of the following: "being attacked or ambushed," "engaging in hand to hand combat," and "seeing a unit member blown up or burned alive" during this deployment.…”