Follow-up of Psychological and Neurocognitive Gulf War Outcome: Relation to Stress

This is the follow-up to an observational epidemiological study of psychological and neuropsychological outcomes of deployed and non-deployed Gulf War-era veterans.

Approximately 800 deployed and 250 nondeployed veterans were originally administered psychological assessment instruments shortly after the cessation of the Gulf War. These veterans are currently being followed to evaluate longer-term psychological outcomes in relation to war-zone stress, intervening life stress, and individual difference factors and personal resources, such as coping and social support. Approximately 75 of these veterans, oversampled for post-traumatic stress disorder, were administered a specialized neuropsychological battery emphasizing attention and memory. This sample will also be followed to evaluate longitudinal neuropsychological outcome in relation to PTSD status. A cross-sectional study will also be conducted examining visual, hierarchical attention in relation to PTSD diagnosis.