Iranian Journal of War and Public Health
Volume:6 Issue: 24, 2014

Disability from any kind and in any form often leads to psychological crises through anxiety، fear، low self-esteem and psychological challenges. The aim of this study was to compare the physical veterans and disabled persons in the dimensions of marital satisfaction، emotional intelligence، religious beliefs، and coping strategies against stress. This causal-comparative correlational study was done on all male veterans (over 50%) and all male physical disabled (disabilities due to an accident) of Tabriz. 150 subjects from veterans by simple random sampling method and 150 subjects from physical disabled were selected using purposive sampling method and they were matched based on type and degree of disabilities and age. To collect data، Shereng Emotional Intelligence، Enrich Marriage Satisfaction، Folkman & Lazarous Coping Strategies and Serajzadeh Religious Measure questionnaires were used. SPSS 19 software was used to analyze the data using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. A significant difference was observed between marital satisfaction، emotional intelligence score، religious beliefs score، the problem-centered coping strategies and emotion-centered coping strategy score of the two groups. The correlation between the predictor variables (emotional intelligence، religious beliefs، problem-centered coping strategy and emotion-focused coping strategy) was 0. 91 with marital satisfaction. These variables predicted 82% of marital satisfaction significantly (p<0. 001). Veterans compared to physical disabled persons are more compatible with their disability and they are less impaired socially and mentally and they have more marital satisfaction as well.

Physical and psychological complications due to the explosion of mine and unexploded ordnances affect the level of individual and social performance of the victims. The aim of this study was to determine the level of performance and dependency level in adolescent victims of landmine and unexploded ordnance in activities of daily living. In this cross sectional study of descriptive-analytical type that was done in 2009, 78 injured teenagers by explosion of mine and unexploded ordnance in five border provinces were studied using census sampling method. All the victims were invited to participate in the health monitoring national plan. Tools for data collection were demographic and Barthel Index questionnaires. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18 software using Pearson correlation, independent T and one-way ANOVA tests. The mean age of participants was 16.11±1.99 years and the mean score of total activities of daily living was 84.28±17.22. The most need for help was related to the movement on uneven surfaces and dressing and the lowest disability was related to eating and bowel control. There were significant correlations between sex (p=0.006), educational status (p=0.05) and disability rate (p=0.05) and the mean score of activities of daily living. Performance of mine victims in activities of daily living is in a relatively good level and this people are independent in doing the most of activities of daily living.

From the rehabilitation viewpoint, amputation is considered as a deficit that may result in individual disability and it has some social problems consequences. Quality of life is also one of the important indicators to evaluate health and social and rehabilitation programs. This study aimed to compare the prevalence of depression and quality of life of veterans and amputated non-veterans due to an accident. This descriptive cross-sectional study was done on patients referred to men below the knee prosthesis fabrication in Tehran Red Crescent Society Rehabilitation Center and Kowsar Orthotics and Prosthetics Center of Martyr and Veterans Foundation in April and June 2013. 60 subjects were selected in two groups of 30 veterans and non-veterans. Data were collected through three-section demographic, SF-36 to measure quality of life and Beck depression questionnaires. Data analysis was done using independent T, Pearson correlation and Chi-square tests. Veterans depression mean (6.9±5.7) was less than non-veterans (8.2±6.6) significantly (p=0.001). No significant difference (p=0.807) was observed between the total score of quality of life of veterans groups (66.2±15.3) and non-veterans (70.2±14.8). Also, there was no significant difference between veterans and non-veterans in two ​​physical health (p=0.766) and mental health scale domains (p=0.751). A significant inverse correlation was observed between the levels of depression and mental and physical health scores of veterans and non-veterans groups (p<0.008). Depression is associated with quality of life in amputated people.

Chemical veterans suffer from a range of physical and mental diseases that affect their quality of sleep. There are different non-pharmaceutical ways to improve quality of sleep in these people. This study aimed to investigate the effect of sleep based on Islamic pattern on the quality of sleep of mustard gas victims. This case-controlled two-group semi-experimental study was done on 70 mustard gas victims in Ilam City in 2012. Samples were selected among 168 Ilam chemical victims by achievable sampling method. Data were collected using demographic and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires. Obtained data were entered to SPSS 16 for analysis and they were analysed by Paired-T and Independent-T tests. There was significant difference in the mean scores all domains of quality of sleep in the next phase of intervention on quality of sleep in mustard gas victims, compared to the pre-training phase (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the total score of sleep quality (the combination of Pittsburgh questionnaire seven phase scores) between two intervention (12.57±4.29) and control (11.09±4.67) groups before intervention (p=0.170; t=-1.387) but a significant difference was observed in this score between two control (11.43±5.00) and intervention (7.00±2.49) groups after intervention (p=0.0001; t=4.691). Employing sleep pattern based on the spirituality according to Islam teachings is effective on quality of sleep in mustard gas victims.

The Iran-Iraq war is a momentous event in Iranian peoples’ life. Various social stratum including veterans have played an effective role to defense Iran Islamic revolution and the country. This study aimed to investigate the role of education and income level on social capital of veterans. This cross-sectional study was done on 522 veterans with document and exact percent of devotee recorded at Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs of the Amol City in 2011. Subjects were selected by simple random sampling. Data were collected using researcher-made questionnaire containing 24 questions. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 and One-way ANOVA test. The mean number of reliable neighbors of veterans was 4.62±9.17 persons, the mean number of reliable friends was 6.43±1.29 persons and the mean number of reliable relatives was 16.35±3.16 persons. The subjects had less trust to the society overall and they were stated that they were respected less by the society compared to their family and the Martyrs Foundation. Educational level just had significant effect on veterans’ utilization of friends and income level just had significant effect on having reliable neighbors. The effect of educational level solely had significant effect on social capital of respect and trust to the society and income rate on veterans’ utilization of mental social capital was significant in all three areas. Going from inter-group level (family and relatives) towards extra-group level (the Martyrs and Veterans Foundation and the society), veterans’ utilization of both two social capital types decreases.

Self-differentiation means how much a person has got emotional independence in her family and her independence has decreased. Veterans and disabled persons relationship with their families is very important because how much they achieve self-differentiation from their families may they face with some conflicts in their life that they are unable to solve them that can cause some mental health disorders. The present study was done to investigate the correlation between self-differentiation and mental health in veterans and disabled persons. This descriptive-correlational study was done on 200 athlete veterans and disabled persons of Charmohal and Bakhtiyari in 2013 and due to the limitations of the sample, all members were selected as samples. Data were collected using two Skowron and Friedlander self-differentiation and Goldberg general health questionnaires. To data analyze, Pearson correlation coefficient and simultaneous multiple regression analysis using SPSS 21 software was done. The mean total score of self-differentiation questionnaire in veterans and disabled persons was 149.81±29.99 and the mean total score of the mental health was 61.41±20.62. There was a significant and direct correlation between self-differentiation and my position subscale with mental health and its subscales. Also there was a significant and diverse correlation between level of emotional reactivity, emotional faults and fusion with others with mental health and its subscales. Raising the veterans and disabled persons differentiation level, increasing the mental health level.

Recurrent respiratory infections are one of the clinical protests of those with delayed complications of exposure to mustard gas. Studies Show that inflammatory mediators have been changed in serum, sputum and Broncho-Alveolar Lavage (BAL) samples of chemical victims. Regarding TLR4 importance in inflammation and response to infections, this study aimed to investigate TLR4 gene expression in chemical victim's lung tissues. In this case-control study, paraffin blocks of lung tissue samples were collected from 28 veterans exposed to mustard gas with delayed pulmonary complications (cases group) and 9 pulmonary samples from the subjects with no mustard exposure (controls group) from the archive of some hospitals during 2013-2014. Slides samples from lung paraffin blocks stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) were prepared. Real-time PCR was used to evaluate RNA expression. ΔΔCT median was used to measure the relative genes expression. Comparison of data was done using Mann-Whitney test by SPSS 21 software. In case group, 12 patients (42.8%) were diagnosed with constructive bronchiolitis, 8 patients (28.6%) with respiratory bronchiolitis and 8 patients (28.6%) with other disease and in control group, 4 patients (44.4%) with constructive bronchiolitis, 1 patient (11.2%) with respiratory bronchiolitis and 4 patients (44.4%) were diagnosed with other diseases. Case group ΔΔCT median was 5.28±3.58 cyc and that of control group was 5.81±3.29cyc that gad no significant difference (p>0.05). As there is pathological similarity in lung tissues of both groups, it seems that TLR4 gene expression undergoes same changes.

Exposure to mustard gas leads to acute and chronic toxic effects on the skin. Results from several studies have been suggested the role of immune mediators, including Interleukin-18, in the pathogenesis of diseases associated with the urticaria appearance. The aim of present study was to investigate the association between Interleukin-18 and its binding protein and chronic urticaria in veterans. In this historical cohort study, 372 Sardasht veterans exposed to mustard gas and 128 healthy people (residents of the Rabat City, Iran) were studied. The both "exposed" and "control" groups were homogeneous in terms of gender, age, body mass index, and marital status. All subjects were studied and divided by an experienced skin specialist for skin disorders such as urticaria. Interleukin-18 serum levels and its binding protein were measured by sandwich ELISA methods. Mann-Whitney test was performed to compare cytokines serum levels of in the studied groups. 8 (2.1%) of exposed group and 1 (0.8%) of control group had chronic urticaria. There was no significant difference in Interleukin-18 level mean in exposed group with urticaria compared to control group mean without urticaria (p=0.17). The difference of Interleukin-18 level between the samples with and without urticaria of the exposed group was significant (p=0.025) and higher in the persons with urticaria. No significant difference was observed in Il-18bp level mean in exposed group with urticaria compared to control group without urticaria (p=0.784). IL-18 may be involved in the occurrence of urticaria induced by mustard gas.