Veteran Beliefs About the Causes of Gulf War Illness and Expectations for Improvement.

Kane NS, Hassabelnaby R, Sullivan NL, Graff F, Litke DR, Quigley KS, Pigeon WR, Rath JF, Helmer DA, McAndrew LM. Veteran Beliefs About the Causes of Gulf War Illness and Expectations for Improvement. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 2024 Feb 1; 31(1):169-174.

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Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Individuals'' beliefs about the etiology of persistent physical symptoms (PPS) are linked to differences in coping style. However, it is unclear which attributions are related to greater expectations for improvement. METHOD AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional regression analysis (N? = 262) indicated that Veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI) who attributed their GWI to behavior, (e.g., diet and exercise), had greater expectations for improvement (p? = .001) than those who attributed their GWI to deployment, physical, or psychological causes (p values? > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the possible clinical utility of exploring perceived contributing factors of PPS, which may increase perceptions that improvement of PPS is possible. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02161133.