Assessment of Noncombat, War-Related Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology: Validity of the PK, PS, and IES Scales

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