Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T11:28:10.968Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Mental health of Dutch Peacekeeping Veterans 10-25 years after deployment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2008

Ellen R. Klaassens ,
Tineke van Veen ,
Jos M.P. Weerts  and
Frans G. Zitman
Ellen R. Klaassens*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Albinusdreef 2, 2333ZALeiden, The Netherlands
Tineke van Veen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Albinusdreef 2, 2333ZALeiden, The Netherlands
Jos M.P. Weerts
Affiliation:
Veterans Institute, Willem van Lanschotplein 2, 3941 XP Doorn, The Netherlands
Frans G. Zitman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Albinusdreef 2, 2333ZALeiden, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 71 5263785; fax: +31 71 5248156. E-mail address: e.r.klaassens@lumc.nl
Get access

Abstract

Objective

This report describes the mental health of Dutch peacekeeping veterans, 10--25 years after deployment, and its association with deployment-related traumatic events.

Method

We randomly selected a group of 1046 peacekeeping veterans, who participated in military missions in Lebanon, former Yugoslavia, and various other missions between 1979 and 1997. We sent a questionnaire assessing current levels of psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory -- BSI), and a questionnaire assessing trauma related to deployment.

Results

Psychological data were available for 729 veterans. In 83% of the veterans, no significant psychological distress was found, whereas 17% scored above the BSI cut-off for psychopathology. Interestingly, this percentage was equal to that in a non-patient norm group.

Conclusion

From this finding we concluded that 10--25 years post-deployment, Dutch peacekeeping veterans do not show more psychological distress than the general Dutch population. In addition, we did not find a significant association between trauma exposure 10--25 years ago and current BSI scores. Moreover, trauma-exposure explained only 9% of the variance in psychological distress. Thus, although military peacekeeping operations may have a strong impact on the lives of soldiers, in this group of veterans they do not seem to have caused severe psychological distress10--25 years after deployment.

Keywords

StressPost-traumatic stress disorderVeteransMental healthPsychological distress
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 23 , Issue 7 , October 2008 , pp. 486 - 490
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier Masson SAS 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bartone, P.T.Adler, A.B.Vaitkus, M.A.Dimensions of psychological stress in peacekeeping operations Mil Med. 163 9 1998 587–593CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
de Beurs, E.De Brief Symptom Inventory: Handleiding 2004 Pits Publishers LeidenGoogle Scholar
Bramsen, I.Dirkzwager, A.J.E.van der Ploeg, H.M.Predeployment personality traits and exposure to trauma as predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms: a prospective study of Former Peacekeepers Am J Psychiatry. 157 7 2000 1115–1119CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Derogatis, L.R.Melisaratos, N.The Brief Symptom Inventory: an introductory report Psychol Med. 13 3 1983 595–605CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dillman, D.A.Mail and telephone surveys: The total design method 1978 John Wiley & Sons New YorkGoogle Scholar
Dirkzwager, A.J.E.Bramsen, I.Van der Ploeg, H.M.Factors associated with post-traumatic stress among peacekeeping soldiers Anxiety Stress and Coping. 18 1 2005 37–51CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, M.J.Bolton, E.E.Litz, B.T.A longitudinal analysis of PTSD symptom course: delayed-onset PTSD in Somalia peacekeepers Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology. 72 5 2004 909–913CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gray, M.J.Bolton, E.E.Litz, B.T.A longitudinal analysis of PTSD symptom course: delayed-onset PTSD in Somalia peacekeepers Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology. 72 5 2004 909–913CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henry, B.Moffitt, T.E.Caspi, A.Langley, J.Silva, P.A.On the “Remembrance of Things Past”: a longitudinal evaluation of the retrospective method Psychol Assess. 6 2 1994 92–101CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hotopf, M.David, A.Hull, L.Ismail, K.Unwin, C.Wessely, S.The health effects of peacekeeping (Bosnia, 1992–1996): a cross-sectional study–comparison with non-deployed military personnel Mil Med. 168 5 2003 408–413CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Litz, B.T.Orsillo, S.M.Friedman, M.Ehlich, P.Batres, A.Posttraumatic stress disorder associated with peacekeeping duty in Somalia for U.S. military personnel [published erratum appears in Am J Psychiatry 1997 May;154(5):722] Am J Psychiatry. 154 2 1997 178–184Google ScholarPubMed
Maguen, S.Litz, B.T.Wang, J.L.Cook, M.The stressors and demands of peacekeeping in Kosovo: predictors of mental health response Mil Med. 169 3 2004 198–206CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mehlum, L.Weisaeth, L.Predictors of post-traumatic stress reactions in Norwegian U.N. peacekeepers 7 years after service J Trauma Stress. 15 1 2002 17–26CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mehlum, L.M.Koldsland, B.O.M.Loeb, M.E.M.Risk factors for long-term post-traumatic stress reactions in unarmed UN military observers: a four-year follow-up study Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease. 194 10 2006 800–804CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mouthaan, J.Dirkzwager, A.J.E.de Vries, M.Elands, M.Scagliola, S.I.Weerts, J.M.P.Libanon laat ons nooit helemaal los. Resultaten van onderzoek naar de gezondheid en het welzijn van UNIFIL'ers die in de periode 1979–1985 naar Libanon zijn uitgezonden 2005Google Scholar
Orsillo, S.M.Roemer, L.Litz, B.T.Ehlich, P.Friedman, M.J.Psychiatric symptomatology associated with contemporary peacekeeping: an examination of post-mission functioning among peacekeepers in Somalia J Trauma Stress. 11 4 1998 611–625CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orsillo, S.M.Weathers, F.W.Litz, B.T.Steinberg, H.R.Huska, J.A.Keane, T.M.Current and lifetime psychiatric disorders among veterans with war-zone related post-traumatic stress disorder J Nerv Ment Dis. 184 5 1996 307–313CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, J.D.Elhai, J.D.Pedlar, D.J.Association of PTSD and depression with medical and specialist care utilization in modern peacekeeping veterans in Canada with health-related disabilities J Clin Psychiatry. 67 8 2006 1240–1245CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ward, W.Psychiatric morbidity in Australian veterans of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Somalia Aust NZ J Psychiatry. 31 2 1997 184–193CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.