Prevalence and Correlates of Mental Health Problems in Norwegian Peacekeepers 18–38 Years Postdeployment

Peacekeeping missions involve experiences that may impact the mental health of participating soldiers. However, research on the long-term mental health consequences of peacekeeping is sparse. The present study aimed to find the prevalence of mental health problems (MHPs), possible MHP predictors, and associations between predictors and MHPs in Norwegian peacekeepers 18–38 years after deployment to a United Nations peacekeeping mission. We used data from a cross-sectional, postdeployment survey of Norwegian peacekeepers who served in Lebanon between 1978 and 1998 (N = 10,605). Participants were assessed for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); anxiety; depression; insomnia; alcohol misuse; drug misuse; and exposure to pre-, peri-, and postdeployment stressors. Logistic regressions were executed to explore key variables associated with MHPs. Total MHP prevalence was 15.1%, 95% CI [14.4, 15.8]. The estimates for specific disorders were 0.1% for drug misuse, 3.4% for alcohol misuse, 4.0% for depression, 6.2% for PTSD, 6.4% for anxiety, and 9.3% for insomnia. Postdeployment stressors, OR = 1.91, 95% CI [1.79, 2.04]; employment status, OR = 1.41, 95% CI [1.33, 1.48]; and traumatic exposure during deployment, OR = 1.11, 95% CI [1.09, 1.12], were positively related to PTSD, χ2(17, N = 8,568) = 1,791.299, p < .001. Similar patterns were found for the other MHPs. Considering that most participants (84.9%) reported low symptom levels, our findings challenge the widespread public perception that most peacekeepers have MHPs. Moreover, our results indicate that future peacekeepers should be prepared for challenges they may face not only during deployment but also in the years following their homecoming.     

Female urinary incontinence: long-term follow-up after treatment in general practice.

BACKGROUND: Several reports have been published showing that women with urinary incontinence (UI) can be taken care of and treated satisfactorily in general practice. AIM: To find out whether the treatment of women with UI in general practice is effective also in the long term. METHOD: One hundred and five women with UI who consulted their general practitioner (GP) were examined and treated according to a treatment protocol. Treatment options were pelvic floor exercises, electrical stimulation, oestrogen supplements, bladder training, and protective pads. Three to six years after inclusion, all women received a postal questionnaire to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of treatment. Women who had been referred to a specialist were excluded. RESULTS: Eighty out of 82 eligible patients answered the questionnaire after a mean follow-up period of 56 months. Twenty-seven per cent were continent, 26% much better, 23% a little better, 21% unchanged, and 3% were worse compared with before the treatment. The median score on a 100 mm visual analogue scale was 16 compared with 31 before treatment, and the percentage of women that were 'much' or 'a great deal' bothered by UI was reduced from 35% to 12%. The percentage of women with severe UI was reduced from 59% to 30%, and the number of women using pads was reduced from 62% to 39%. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that management of female UI in general practice is effective also in the long term.     

Eating disorders and psychiatric disorders in the first-degree relatives of obese probands with binge eating disorder and obese non-binge eating disorder controls.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of the present study were to examine the possibility of a familial tendency for binge eating disorder (BED) among the obese, to clarify the relationship between BED and other eating disorders, and to test the relationship between BED and other psychiatric disorders. METHOD: We studied 32 female BED outpatients and 23 obese females without BED. A possible history of eating disorders was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R-Eating Disorders section administered by telephone interview. Family history information for other psychiatric disorders was collected using the Family History Research Diagnostic Criteria RESULTS: The frequency of all eating disorders and the risk for other psychiatric disorders were not significantly different between the relatives of the two groups. These results were consistent across generation and gender. DISCUSSION: This study failed to show a familial tendency for BED, or any significant familial relationship between BED and other eating disorders, and did not support the hypothesis of coaggregation of other psychiatric disorders with BED.     

A retrospective study of pregnancy in bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is a common medical problem among young women of childbearing potential. Although many bulimic women improve their eating while pregnant, some do not and continue to binge eat, vomit, and/or use laxatives. This study is a retrospective comparison of the outcome of 38 pregnancies in 20 actively bulimic women and 50 pregnancies in 31 control women. The results indicate that the risk of fetal loss, primarily through miscarriages, was approximately twice as high in first bulimic pregnancies. However, this difference was not statistically significant.     

Eating related and general psychopathology in obese females with binge eating disorder

One hundred obese women with a mean age of 39.2 years, and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 35.9 kg/m² were evaluated before entering a treatment study for weight reduction. According to the results of a structured interview, subjects were divided into four groups: (?) no overeating episodes, (2) episodic overeating episodes without the feeling of loss of control, (3) overeating plus the sense of loss of control (binge eating), and (4) full diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder (BED). One-way analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed significant positive associations between binge eating and eating/weight-related characteristics such as a history of frequent weight fluctuations, the amount of time spent dieting, drive for thinness, and a tendency for disinheriting of eating. Furthermore, subjects exhibited more feelings of ineffectiveness, stronger perfectionist attitudes, more impulsivity, less self-esteem, and less interceptive awareness the more problems with binge eating they reported. The results support the idea that binge eaters might be a distinct subgroup among the obese population, and corroborate the utility of a diagnosis of BED in identifying the most disturbed obese subjects with regard to the variables tested. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.