Deployment Risk and Resilience Factors // National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

2 Predeployment/Prewar Factors: prior stressors (15 items) and childhood family environment (15 items).

10 Deployment/War-zone Factors: sense of preparedness (14 items), difficult living and working environment (20 items), concerns about life and family disruptions (14 items), deployment social support (12 items), sexual harassment (7 items), general harassment (7 items), perceived threat (15 items), combat experiences (15 items), exposure to the aftermath of battle (15 items), and self-reports of nuclear/biological/chemical (NBC) exposures (20 items).

2 Postdeployment/Postwar Factors: postdeployment social support (15 items), and postdeployment stressors (17 items).

Any one or more of these measures may be used individually, depending upon the needs of the researcher. All measures were derived from a four-phase psychometric endeavor: (a) an initial concern for content validity using focus groups of veterans who were deployed to the Gulf region in 1990-91 (Gulf War I), (b) a telephone survey on a national sample of female and male Gulf War I veterans to select items and establish initial psychometric properties, (c) a national mail survey of Gulf War I veterans to confirm the psychometric properties and usefulness of the DRRI in paper-and-pencil format, and (d) a final validation telephone survey to another national sample of Gulf War I veterans to relate scores on the 14 measures to physical and mental health and health-related quality of life. The wording of all items in all measures of the DRRI is intended to be appropriate to contemporary military deployments.

Importantly, at this stage, the DRRI scales are primarily for research purposes. While the DRRI is not presently intended for formal clinical assessment, it might prove helpful for information-gathering in clinical settings.

RISK AND RESILIENCE MEASURES	TARGETED GROUP	NUMBER OF ITEMS	TIME TO ADMINISTER	ASSESSES DSM-IV CRITERION A?
childhood family environment scale - drri	deployed military	15	2-3 minutes	NO
prior stressors SCALE - DRRI	deployed military	15	2 minutes	YES - SomE items
PREPAREDNESS SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	14	2-3 minutes	NO
COMBAT EXPERIENCES SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	15	2 minutes	YES - SOME ITEMS
aftermath of Battle SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	15	2 minutes	YES - SOME ITEMS
Perceived threat SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	15	2-3 minutes	yes - some items
DIFFICULT LIVING and WORKING environment SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	20	3 minutes	NO
concerns about life and family disruptionS SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	14	2-3 minutes	NO
Sexual harassment SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	7	1-2 minutes	YES - SOME ITEMS
GENERAL HARASSMENT SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	7	1-2 minutes	NO
DEPLOYMENT social support SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	12	2 minutes	NO
NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, & CHEMICAL EXPOSURES SCALE - DRRI	DEPLOYED MILITARY	20	3 minutes	YES - SOME ITEMS
postDEPLOYMENT social support SCALE - DRRI	deployed military	15	2-3 minutes	NO
postDEPLOYMENT stressors SCALE - DRRI	deployed military	17	2 minutes	YES - SOME ITEMS

childhood family ENVIRONMENT SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses quality of early life in the family of origin in terms of cohesion, accord, and closeness among family members.

prior stressors scale - drri

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to traumatic events before deployment, such as community or domestic violence, physical assault, sexual abuse, previous combat duty, and/or other highly stressful life events.

PREPAREDNESS SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses the extent to which an individual believes that he/she was prepared for deployment. This includes the extent to which military personnel believe they had the equipment and supplies they needed and were trained to perform necessary procedures and tasks using equipment and supplies. This also includes the extent to which military personnel feel they were prepared for what to expect in terms of their role in the deployment and what it would be like in the region.

COMBAT EXPERIENCES SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to stereotypical warfare experiences such as firing a weapon, being fired on (by enemy or friendly fire), witnessing injury and death, and going on special missions and patrols that involve such experiences. This war-zone factor refers to objective events and circumstances and does not include personal interpretations or subjective judgments of the events or circumstances.

aftermath of BATTLE SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to the consequences of combat including observing or handling the remains of civilians, enemy soldiers, U.S. and allied personnel, or animals, dealing with POWs, and observing other consequences of combat such as devastated communities and homeless refugees. This factor is also conceptualized as cataloging more objective war-zone events and circumstances.

Perceived threat SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses fear for one's safety and well-being in the war zone, especially as a response to potential exposure to circumstances of combat including NBCs (nuclear, biological, or chemical agents), missiles, and friendly fire incidents. This factor reflects emotional or cognitive appraisals of situations that may or may not accurately represent objective or factual reality.

DIFFICULT LIVING and WORKING environment SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to events or circumstances representing repeated or day-to-day irritations and pressures related to life in the war zone. These personal discomforts or deprivations may include the lack of desirable food, lack of privacy, poor living arrangements, uncomfortable climate, cultural difficulties, boredom, inadequate equipment, and long workdays.

concerns about life and family disruptionS SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses worries that deployment might negatively affect other important life domains. These include both career-related concerns (e.g., losing a job or missing out on a promotion, perhaps especially important for members of the National Guard and Reserves) and family-related concerns (e.g., damaging relationships with spouse or children or missing significant events such as birthdays, weddings, and deaths).

Sexual harassment SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to unwanted sexual touching or verbal conduct of a sexual nature from other unit members, commanding officers, or civilians in the war zone that creates a hostile working environment.

GENERAL HARASSMENT SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to harassment that is non-sexual but that may occur on the basis of oneís biological sex or minority or other social status and that is used to enforce traditional roles, or in response to the violation of these roles. Categories of harassment include indirect resistance to authority, deliberate sabotage, indirect threats, constant scrutiny, and gossip and rumors directed toward individuals.

DEPLOYMENT social support SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses the extent to which military personnel believe they were valued, assisted, and encouraged by the military (i.e., the military in general, unit leaders, and other unit members).

NBC EXPOSURES SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposures to an array of nuclear, biological, and chemical agents that the veteran believes he/she encountered while serving in the war zone.

postDEPLOYMENT social support SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses the extent to which family, friends, coworkers, employers, and community provide emotional sustenance and instrumental assistance. Emotional sustenance refers to the extent to which others provide the individual with understanding, companionship, a sense of belonging, and positive self-regard. Instrumental assistance refers to the extent to which the individual receives tangible aid such as help to accomplish tasks and material assistance or resources.

postDEPLOYMENT stressors SCALE - DRRI

This scale from the DRRI assesses exposure to stressful life events after the deployment, including both generally stressful events that are unrelated to the deployment, such as vehicular accidents, physical assaults, and death or serious illness of a relative, and events that may be related to efforts at reintegration (especially for National Guard and Reserves), such as job interruption, difficulties in reestablishing family and community roles, legal or financial difficulties, and divorce.

King, D. W., King, L. A., & Vogt, D. S. (2003). Manual for the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory (DRRI): A Collection of Measures for Studying Deployment-Related Experiences of Military Veterans. Boston, MA: National Center for PTSD.

To obtain scale(s) contact:

Dawne S. Vogt, Ph.D., NCPTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System (116B-5), Boston, MA 02130.

Email: Dawne.Vogt@med.va.gov