Multiple Symptom Illness in New Zealand Contemporary Veterans

aut.relation.endpage67
aut.relation.issue1580
aut.relation.journalNew Zealand Medical Journal
aut.relation.startpage62
aut.relation.volume136
dc.contributor.authorMcBride, David Iain
dc.contributor.authorRichardson, Amy
dc.contributor.authorGardner, Dianne
dc.contributor.authorWyeth, Emma
dc.contributor.authorShepherd, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorDerrett, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorCameron, Claire
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-18T00:06:40Z
dc.date.available2023-08-18T00:06:40Z
dc.date.issued2023-08-04
dc.description.abstractAIMS: To describe patterns of multiple symptom illness (MSI) in New Zealand military veterans, defined as clusters of "medically unexplained" symptoms not fitting within a specific medical diagnosis, and to investigate the relationship with exposure to traumatic events. METHODS: We designed an online cross-sectional survey. The participants of interest were the 3,874 currently serving veterans who had been deployed to a conflict zone, but all veterans were eligible to participate. A modified Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 54-item symptom checklist identified MSI, the post-traumatic checklist-military version (PCL-M) identified symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the brief trauma scale assessed "war zone" service. Factor analysis was used to identify unobserved "latent factors" in the data, factor severity scores and the number of symptoms being calculated for each respondent. RESULTS: The CDC questionnaire was completed by 1,819 veterans, with 1,672 completing the PCL-M. The factor analysis revealed three factors, explaining 86% of the variation in the data. Factor 1 symptoms were of an arthro-neuromuscular nature, Factor 2 cognitive and Factor 3 psycho-physiological. Discriminant function analysis showed that the factors could discriminate between those with and without PTSD but could not discriminate between those who did and did not serve in a war zone. CONCLUSIONS: In veterans, multiple symptoms including pain, sleep disorders, cognitive problems and avoidance, especially when severe, may be worthy of further investigation by health professionals because of the possible association with PTSD.
dc.identifier.citationNew Zealand Medical Journal, ISSN: 1175-8716 (Print); 1175-8716 (Online), New Zealand Medical Association, 136(1580), 62-67.
dc.identifier.issn1175-8716
dc.identifier.issn1175-8716
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/16568
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherPasifika Medical Association
dc.relation.urihttps://nzmj.org.nz/journal/vol-136-no-1580/multiple-symptom-illness-in-new-zealand-contemporary-veterans
dc.rightsThe New Zealand Medical Journal is fully available to individual subscribers and does not incur a subscription fee. This applies to both New Zealand and international subscribers. The Journal no longer takes APC fees, as all content is freely available once logged in to htps://nzmj.org.nz/
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccess
dc.subject4203 Health Services and Systems
dc.subject42 Health Sciences
dc.subjectClinical Research
dc.subjectMental Health
dc.subjectChronic Pain
dc.subjectPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
dc.subjectAnxiety Disorders
dc.subjectBehavioral and Social Science
dc.subjectPain Research
dc.subject3 Good Health and Well Being
dc.subject11 Medical and Health Sciences
dc.subjectGeneral & Internal Medicine
dc.subject32 Biomedical and clinical sciences
dc.subject42 Health sciences
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshCross-Sectional Studies
dc.subject.meshStress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
dc.subject.meshMilitary Personnel
dc.subject.meshVeterans
dc.subject.meshNew Zealand
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshVeterans
dc.subject.meshCross-Sectional Studies
dc.subject.meshNew Zealand
dc.subject.meshMilitary Personnel
dc.subject.meshStress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
dc.titleMultiple Symptom Illness in New Zealand Contemporary Veterans
dc.typeJournal Article
pubs.elements-id519960
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