Unit-based intervention for Gulf war soldiers surviving a SCUD missile attack: Program description and preliminary findings

• Published in: Journal of traumatic stress 1993-04, Vol.6 (2), p.225-238
• Main Authors: Perconte, Stephen, Wilson, Anne, Pontius, Edward, Dietrick, Ann, Kirsch, Cynthia, Sparacino, Christopher
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior therapy. Cognitive therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Medical sciences; Persian Gulf War; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; PTSD; Treatments; unit-based intervention
• ISSN: 0894-9867; 1573-6598
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490060206

An intensive, on‐site treatment intervention was designed and implemented for the nonhospitalized survivors of a SCUD missile attack during the Persian Gulf War, following their return to the states. Twenty‐eight members of the 14th Quartermasters Unit, 24 males and 4 females, were evaluated and administered the Mississippi Scale for Combat‐Related PTSD (revised), the Beck Depression Inventory, and the SCL‐90R to assess levels of war stress symptomatology. A total of 20 soldiers participated in the treatment program, which consisted of a highly structured intervention utilizing a multimodal treatment approach. The pre‐ and post‐treatment testing suggested relatively high levels of symptomatology related to war stress in the soldiers who were in the vicinity of the missile blast, which decreased significantly following treatment. While the overall treatment effort was well‐received, several obstacles were encountered and discussed.