The effectiveness of the Rorschach in detecting acute posttraumatic stress (PTS) in Persian Gulf War veterans was investigated. Subjects were 30 U.S. Marine Reservists who reported experiencing symptoms of PTS after 3 months of active duty in Operation Desert Storm. Subjects were administered the Rorschach and MMPI-2 soon after their return from the Persian Gulf War. Results showed acute distress, a vulnerable capacity for coping and control, and a tendency to be overwhelmed by internal and external stimulation. Selected Rorschach variables were significantly related in a conceptually valid manner to MMPI-2 scales associated with defensiveness, coping ability, and PTS. These findings are discussed in relation to the assessment, understanding, and treatment of PTS symptomatology and posttraumatic stress disorder.

The long-term psychological effects of war-related stress were assessed with the Rorschach 3 years after the Persian Gulf War. Rorschach data are presented for 30 U.S. Marine reservists at a 3-year follow-up who reported experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) initially after Operation Desert Storm (ODS), and for 25 Marine reservist controls who did not participate in ODS. Results showed significant differences over time between the initial evaluation data and follow-up, and between initial evaluation and the control group on selected Rorschach variables associated with coping ability and PTS. Scores associated with acute distress, capacity for coping and control, and feeling overwhelmed all were found to significantly decrease over time. These findings are discussed in relation to the assessment and understanding of PTS symptomatology over time.

This study investigated the effectiveness of the Mississippi Scale for Desert Storm War Zone Personnel (M‐PTSD‐DS), developed from the Mississippi Scale for Combat Related PTSD (M‐PTSD; Keane, Caddell, & Taylor, 1988), in the measurement of varying degrees of war‐related post‐traumatic stress (PTS) symptomatology of non‐combat Persian Gulf War veterans. Thirty Marines were administered the M‐PTSD‐DS after 3 months of active duty in Operation Desert Storm. The M‐PTSD‐DS scores of the Marines were related significantly to the number of PTS symptoms reported by the Marines. This scale appears to be quite effective in detecting varying degrees of war‐related stress in non‐combatants.

War-related stress reactions are manifested by psychological symptoms of traumatic experiences that occurred during the person's exposure to war (Kardiner, 1941;Figley, 1978;Horowitz, 1976; van der Kolk, Weisath, & van der Hart, 1996). The symptoms, which can vary from simple to complex, may appear acutely or after long delays from the stressful exposure, and often wax and wane in their expression or in the individual's awareness. Typically, these symptoms include intrusive thoughts or memories, emotional constriction or numbing, hyperarousal and hypervigilance, problems with mood or affective modulation, interpersonal distance or conf lict, and somatic concerns (Horowitz, 1976;van der Kolk & McFarlane, 1996). While current nosological standards (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) describe posttraumatic stress (PTS) syndrome and the related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as primarily anxiety disorders, many authors have emphasized the dissociative, dysphoric, cognitive, and physical symptomatology that emerge in acute and chronic reactions to war-related stress (van der Kolk & Ducey, 1989;Levin & Reis, 1997;van der Kolk, Weisaeth, & van der Hart, 1996). Twenty years after the war, over 15% of American veterans of the Vietnam War reported suffering from PTSD (Kulka et al., 1991), and approximately 9% of U. S. veterans of the Gulf War reported symptoms of PTS (Rosenheck et al., 1992). Given the high incidence of PTS and PTSD in war participants, it is important that clinicians better understand these disorders and their manifestations in order to offer better assessment and treatment strategies.Research of post-traumatic stress and its sequelae has increased in the past 20 years, but relatively few studies have included projective measures of PTS phenomena. In recent reviews, Levin (1993) and Levin and

This study investigated effectiveness of MMPI-2 PK and PS scales and the Impact of Event (IES) scales in detecting posttraumatic stress symptomatology in 66 Marine reservists exposed to 3 months of war-related stress but no direct fighting in the Persian Gulf. The IES, MMPI-2, and War Stress Interview-Operation Desert Storm (WSI-ODS), administered 90 days later, revealed that 71% of participants experienced one or more symptoms of acute posttraumatic stress for at least 1 month after the Gulf War. PK, PS and IES scores were significantly related to number of symptoms reported and were moderately effective in detecting subclinical levels of war-related stress.