Psychological sequelae following the Gulf War. Factors associated with subsequent morbidity and the effectiveness of psychological debriefing.

Autor: Deahl MP; Medical College, St Bartholomew's Hospital, West Smithfield, London., Gillham AB, Thomas J, Searle MM, Srinivasan M
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science [Br J Psychiatry] 1994 Jul; Vol. 165 (1), pp. 60-5.
DOI: 10.1192/bjp.165.1.60
Abstrakt: Background: The aim was to study the effect of brief counselling and psychological debriefing following a trauma on subsequent morbidity.
Method: We investigated psychological morbidity in 62 British soldiers whose duties included the handling and identification of dead bodies of allied and enemy soldiers during the Gulf War. Of these soldiers, 69% received a psychological debriefing on completion of their duties. The subjects completed by post a demographic questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the Impact of Events Scale.
Results: After nine months 50% had evidence of some psychological disturbance suggestive of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); 18% had sought professional help; 26% reported relationship difficulties. Neither prior training nor the psychological intervention appeared to make any difference to subsequent psychiatric morbidity. Morbidity at nine months was more likely in those with a history of psychological problems and those who believed their lives had been in danger in the Gulf.
Conclusions: These findings show that a psychological debriefing following a series of traumatic events or experiences does not appear to reduce subsequent psychiatric morbidity and highlights the need for further research in military and civilian settings.
Databáze: MEDLINE