TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Grief and physical health outcomes in U.S. soldiers returning from combat
JO  - Journal of affective disorders
A1  - Toblin, Robin L.
A1  - Riviere, Lyndon A.
A1  - Thomas, Jeffrey L.
A1  - Adler, Amy B.
A1  - Kok, Brian C.
A1  - Hoge, Charles W.
SP  - 469
EP  - 475
VL  - 136
IS  - 3
N2  - BACKGROUND: Few studies have measured the burden of physical health problems after Iraq/Afghanistan deployment, except in association with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Grief, a correlate of health problems in the general population, has not been systematically examined. We aimed to identify the prevalence of post-deployment physical health problems and their association with difficulty coping with grief. METHODS: Infantry soldiers (n=1522) completed anonymous surveys using validated instruments six months following deployment in November-December 2008. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association of difficulty coping with grief and physical health. RESULTS: The most frequent physical health symptoms reported were: sleep problems (32.8%), musculoskeletal pain (32.7%), fatigue (32.3%), and back pain (28.1%). Difficulty coping with grief over the death of someone close affected 21.3%. There was a dose-response relationship between level of difficulty coping with grief and principal physical health outcomes (ps<.002). Controlling for demographics, combat experiences, injuries, PTSD, depression, and other factors, grief significantly and uniquely contributed to a high somatic symptom score (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.6), poor general health (AOR=2.0), missed work (AOR=1.7), medical utilization (AOR=1.5), difficulty carrying a heavy load (AOR=1.7), and difficulty performing physical training (AOR=1.6; all 95% confidence intervals >1). LIMITATIONS: Data are cross-sectional and grief was measured with one item. CONCLUSIONS: Over 20% of soldiers reported difficulty coping with grief. This difficulty was significantly associated with physical health outcomes and occupational impairment. Clinicians should be aware of the unique role grief plays in post-deployment physical health when treating patients.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0165-0327
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2011.10.048
ID  - ref1
ER  -