Going to war does not have to hurt: preliminary findings from the British deployment to Iraq

Authors:
HUGHES Jamie Hacker, et al
Journal article citation:
British Journal of Psychiatry, 186(6), June 2005, pp.536-537.
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press

The authors carried out a brief longitudinal mental health screen of 254 members of the UK's Air Assault Brigade before and after deployment to Iraq last year. Analysis of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) scores before and after deployment revealed a lower score after deployment (mean difference=0.93, 95% CI 0.35-1.52). This indicated a highly significant relative improvement in mental health (P < 0.005). Moreover, only 9 of a larger sample of 421 (2%) exceeded cut-off criteria on the Trauma Screening Questionnaire. These findings suggest that war is not necessarily bad for psychological health.

Subject terms:
longitudinal studies, mental health problems, post traumatic stress disorder, stress, war, armed forces personnel;
Content type:
research
Location(s):
Iraq
Links:
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ISSN online:
1472-1465
ISSN print:
0007-1250

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