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VA » Health Care » VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) » Home Page » Epidemiology Centers (CSPECs) » INVESTD-R » Fort Devens Operation Desert Storm Reunion Survey

VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP)

Fort Devens Operation Desert Storm Reunion Survey

Main study:
Fort Devens Operation Desert Storm Reunion Survey

Follow-up study:
Health Status of Persian Gulf War Veterans

Investigator Access Fort Devens Operation Desert Storm Reunion Survey
What's Available	Check publications for information and a public dataset, data archive, data enclave, or website where data might be available.
Available Documentation
Dates Data are Available
Access Criteria
Study Characteristics Fort Devens Operation Desert Storm Reunion Survey
Objectives	Describe troop demographics of the Fort Devens cohort of Persian Gulf War Veterans Examine, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, family and unit support factors, war-zone exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological distress symptomatology in these Veterans Examine physical health status at Time 2 and explore potential risk factors important in the development of adverse physical health after return from a wartime environment
Era of Service	Gulf War
Population	Male and female U.S. Army Active, Reserve and National Guard soldiers who were deployed to the Persian Gulf during the 1990–1991 conflict
Study Design	Prospective cohort
Time Period	Time 1: April 1991– July 1991 (within 5 days of Veterans’ return following deployment) Time 2: 1992 – 1993 (within 18-24 months of their return)
Setting	84 units returning from deployment to the Gulf War through Fort Devens, Massachusetts
N	Time 1: 2,949 participants Time 2: 2,313 participants
Response Rate	Time 1: ~60% Time 2: 79%
Recruitment Method	Participants were recruited during processing activities within the first five days of return from deployment, before they rejoined their families.
Compensation	None
Data Collected	Demographics PTSD symptomatology Psychological health Physical health Combat exposure Change in work status Current family and social functioning Post-deployment major life stressors Sexual harassment reported by the women surveyed
Data Collection Methods	Self-report questionnaire, with a subset of 200 participants completing an in-depth, face-to-face evaluation
Funding Sources	VA Mental Health Strategic Healthcare Group at the National Center for PTSD (Boston) VA Office of Research and Development (ORD) to the Boston Environmental Hazards Center
Investigators	Unconfirmed
Contact	Unconfirmed
Selected Publications	Rosenheck R, Becnel H, Blank AS, Farley F, Fontan A, Friedman MH, Fulton J, Gelsomino J, Grishman M, Gusman F, Keane T, Lehmann L, Podkul TB, Ursano RJ, Wolfe J. VA Persian Gulf Returnees Working Group. Returning Persian Gulf Troops: First Year Findings. 1992. VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center. Wolfe J, Brown PJ, Kelley JM. Reassessing War Stress: Exposure and the Persian Gulf War. J Social Issues. 1993;49 (4):15-31.¹ Wolfe J, Proctor SP, Davis JD, Borgos MS, Friedman MJ. Health symptoms reported by Persian Gulf War veterans two years after return. Am J Ind Med 1998;33:104-13.
More Information	None

Investigator Access Health Status of Persian Gulf War Veterans
What's Available	Check publications for information and a public dataset, data archive, data enclave, or website where data might be available.
Available Documentation
Dates Data are Available
Access Criteria
Study Characteristics Health Status of Persian Gulf War Veterans
Objectives	Reexamine overall adjustment with a special emphasis on physical health and psychological status Evaluate cognitive functioning by neuropsychological test methods on a subset of the larger cohort
Era of Service	Gulf War
Population	Three cohorts of male and female Veterans: Fort Devens cohort: U.S. Army Active, Reserve, and National Guard Veterans who returned home through Fort Devens, MA after deployment to the Gulf War New Orleans cohort: Active, Reserve, and National Guard, U.S. Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force troops deployed to the Gulf War Germany-deployed cohort (comparison group): A unit from an air ambulance company activated and sent overseas to Germany during the Gulf War from December 1990 – August 1991
Study Design	Cross-sectional
Time Period	Spring 1994 – Fall 1996
Setting	Three cohorts from units based in Fort Devens, New Orleans, and Maine
N	Fort Devens cohort: 220 participants New Orleans cohort: 73 participants Germany-deployed cohort (comparison group): 50 participants
Response Rate	Fort Devens cohort: 62% New Orleans cohort: 38% Germany-deployed cohort: 51%
Recruitment Method	Stratified, random samples of two cohorts of Gulf War Veterans were selected from larger cohorts being followed longitudinally following deployment to the Gulf War. Veterans were identified via Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) and contacted by mail.
Compensation	None
Data Collected	Demographics Occupational and medical history Psychological and physical health symptomatology (e.g., musculoskeletal symptoms, pulmonary symptoms, PTSD symptoms) War zone exposure Environmental exposures (e.g., anti-nerve gas pills, pesticides, smoke) Smoking status
Data Collection Methods	Self-report questionnaires Neuropsychological test battery Environmental interview Psychological diagnostic interviews
Funding Sources	Department of Veterans Affairs, Mental Health Strategic Healthcare Group at the National Center for PTSD (Boston) Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Research and Development (ORD) to the Boston Environmental Hazards Center
Contact	Unconfirmed
Selected Publications	Proctor SP, Heeren T, White RF, Wolfe J, Borgos MS, Davis JD, Pepper L, Clapp R, Sutker PB, Vasterling JJ, Ozonoff D. Health status of Persian Gulf War Veterans: Self-reported symptoms, environmental exposures and the effect of stress. Int J Epidemiol. 1998;27(6):1000-10. Wolfe J, Proctor SP, Erickson DJ, Heeren T, Friedman MJ, Huang MT, Sutker PB, Vasterling JJ, White RF. Relationship of psychiatric status to Gulf War veterans' health problems. Psychosom Med. 1999 Jul-Aug;61(4):532-40. Lindem K, Heeren T, White RF, Proctor SP, Krengel M, Vasterling J, Sutker PB, Wolfe J, Keane TM. Neuropsychological Performance in Gulf War Era Veterans: Traumatic Stress Symptomatology and Exposure to Chemical–Biological Warfare Agents. J Psychopathol Behav Assess. 2003;25(2):105-19.¹
More Information	None

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