PTSD Risk Factors in Military Personnel Deployed to Iraq
This paper reviews two empirical studies examining post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq. Vasterling et al. (2010) assessed over 1,100 soldiers pre- and post-deployment, finding that combat exposure and pre-existing PTSD-like symptoms were significant risk factors for worsening symptomatology. Polusny et al. (2011) similarly found that pre-deployment stressors and perceived unpreparedness for combat predicted new-onset PTSD symptoms in National Guard soldiers. The paper evaluates methodological strengths and limitations of both studies—including sample generalizability, self-report measures, and underrepresentation of women—and proposes directions for future research, including the use of clinical diagnoses and more diverse samples.
- Introduction to PTSD and Military Deployment: Defines PTSD and frames military research focus
- Study One: Vasterling et al. (2010): Large Army sample, pre- and post-deployment PTSD findings
- Study Two: Polusny et al. (2011): National Guard PTSD onset and pre-deployment risk factors
- Methodological Strengths and Limitations: Evaluates sample, measures, and generalizability of both studies
- Diversity and Generalizability Concerns: Gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation gaps in samples
- Implications for Future Research: Proposes clinical diagnosis use and improved study designs
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper provides a focused comparative analysis of two empirical studies, clearly identifying each study's methodology, findings, and limitations in separate, logically sequenced sections.
- It moves beyond summary by critically evaluating both studies together on shared issues—self-report measurement, sample generalizability, and underrepresentation of women—demonstrating higher-order analytical thinking.
- The conclusion connects study findings to practical, real-world implications, such as pre-deployment interventions and training modifications, grounding the academic critique in applied context.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates comparative critical appraisal: rather than reviewing each study in isolation, the author systematically applies the same evaluative criteria (sample size, measurement validity, generalizability, diversity) to both studies, revealing shared weaknesses and complementary strengths. This parallel structure is an effective technique for literature-review and research-paper assignments in psychology and health sciences.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a clinical definition of PTSD and a rationale for focusing on military populations. It then summarizes each study's design and findings individually before transitioning to a joint critical evaluation. Separate paragraphs address methodological limitations, diversity concerns, and future research directions, with each section building on the last. The closing paragraph proposes a concrete research question inspired by the studies' findings, providing a forward-looking conclusion.
Introduction to PTSD and Military Deployment
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disorder that features depression, dissociation, anxiety, and sometimes even psychotic symptoms (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). PTSD is a syndrome that develops after a person is involved in, witnesses, or hears of a severe traumatic stressor affecting themselves or a loved one. The person reacts to the stressor with helplessness and fear, avoids reminders of the event, and may persistently relive it (APA, 2013). Although PTSD is often associated with combat veterans, it can also be experienced by civilians undergoing extreme traumatic stress. Nonetheless, with the recent deployments of U.S. military personnel in the Middle East, much of the research focus remains on PTSD in military populations. This paper discusses two empirical studies that examined aspects of PTSD in military personnel deployed to the Middle East and explored potential risk factors for the development of PTSD symptoms.
Study One: Vasterling et al. (2010)
Vasterling, Proctor, Friedman, Hoge, Heeren, King, and King (2010) assessed 1,124 male and female U.S. Army regular active-duty personnel and activated National Guard soldiers who served in Iraq during 2003–2006. The soldiers were deployed in either combat or noncombat situations. Participants were assessed on two occasions: pre-deployment and post-deployment. Using regression analysis, the researchers found that military deployment to Iraq was associated with increases in PTSD symptoms, even after adjusting for baseline levels. National Guard personnel showed greater increases in PTSD symptoms following deployment than did regular Army personnel. Furthermore, those with higher pre-deployment PTSD-like symptoms were more likely to demonstrate more severe PTSD symptomatology post-deployment, and engaging in combat — particularly combat that produced high levels of stress — appeared to be a risk factor for later displaying more severe PTSD symptoms. Thus, higher levels of stress during deployment may be associated with increased risk for PTSD.
Study Two: Polusny et al. (2011)
Polusny, Erbes, Murdoch, Arbisi, Thuras, and Rath (2011) assessed 424 National Guard personnel who deployed to Iraq between 2006 and 2007. The researchers assessed participants for PTSD both before and after deployment. Using a hierarchical regression model, they found that new-onset probable PTSD symptoms increased nearly fourfold at three months after deployment. Beyond actual exposure to combat, the greatest risk factors were the soldiers' pre-deployment stressors and their perceptions of being prepared for combat. However, when the researchers controlled for the influence of post-deployment factors, these pre-deployment predictors were no longer significant, suggesting that other factors — such as personality characteristics — may influence susceptibility to PTSD.
Methodological Strengths and Limitations
The study by Vasterling et al. used a large sample, followed participants over several years, and employed a sophisticated analysis to determine its results. However, the measures used were not actual clinical or diagnostic measures of PTSD, and other potential clinical disorders — such as depression — were not assessed. Because the study was not population-based but confined to a few battalions, its findings are not generalizable to all military personnel, and the sample was underrepresented in terms of gender.
The Polusny et al. (2011) study used a prospective assessment of risk and protective factors for PTSD; however, participants were volunteers, which limits the study's generalizability. Additionally, in the follow-up session, 20% of the original sample did not respond, and this group could have been having significantly different experiences from those who did respond. A large proportion of the non-respondents were individuals typically considered more susceptible to PTSD — such as those who were unmarried or had lower levels of education (APA, 2013).
In both studies, the assessment of PTSD was obtained through self-reporting of potential symptoms rather than a clinical diagnosis, which can be problematic. Both studies do offer some interesting avenues for future research and identify areas of concern regarding risk factors for developing PTSD symptoms. These types of empirical studies are extremely important in helping clinicians, researchers, and military personnel better understand the potential risk factors that may contribute to a higher probability of developing PTSD.
Although some general risk factors have been established — such as prior substance abuse or a previous diagnosis of a mental disorder (APA, 2013) — as of the time of these studies, no definitive criteria existed to identify which soldiers are at increased risk for developing PTSD. If reliable risk factors could be determined, at least some individuals in very high-risk groups could be assigned to non-combative positions or could receive interventions in the field. Neither study, of course, would be considered generalizable to civilian populations.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Polusny, M. A., Erbes, C. R., Murdoch, M., Arbisi, P. A., Thuras, P., & Rath, M. B. (2011). Prospective risk factors for new-onset post-traumatic stress disorder in National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq. Psychological Medicine, 41(04), 687–698.
Vasterling, J. J., Proctor, S. P., Friedman, M. J., Hoge, C. W., Heeren, T., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (2010). PTSD symptom increases in Iraq-deployed soldiers: Comparison with non-deployed soldiers and associations with baseline symptoms, deployment experiences, and post-deployment stress. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(1), 41–51.
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