Predictors of post-traumatic stress disorder in military personnel deployed to peacekeeping missions

Abstract

As the empirical evidence suggests PTSD, depression and anxiety represent prevalent and severe problem in armed forces. High co morbidity of these disorders with each other further complicates clinical picture. Georgian military personnel regularly take part in different peacekeeping missions, however there is no existing data regarding associations of mental health problems in Georgian armed forces. Data was collected between 2014 and 2015, after 6 month deployment. Participants were 2810 Georgian military personnel who took part in peacekeeping missions. All participants were male, average age: M=31,2 (SD=6,3). All instruments used in the study were self-report scales. PTSD was measured by PCL-5; Depression and anxiety was measured by PHQ (Patient Health Questionnaire). Both variables - Severity of Anxiety symptoms and severity of depression symptoms independently predicted PTSD, but after being placed together in the same regression model, only depression symptom severity accounted for significant portion of variance. Due to the fact that the participants of our study (n=69) were young (M=29,68 ; SD=5,8) male personnel, our findings cannot be generalized. Also it should be considered, that for PTSD screening we used self-report questionnaires, which reduces liability of participants' answers and increases the tendency of self-biased responses. It is advisable for clinical practitioners and therapists to consider depression symptoms in patients with PTSD and screen for depression additionally, in order to exclude or include co morbidity factors in treatment course.