History of the DRRI

It is well established that deployment, and especially war-zone exposure, is associated with an array of mental health outcomes, including PTSD. The majority of available measures of deployment experiences were developed for previously deployed cohorts, most notably, Vietnam veterans.

However, current combat-related experiences are markedly different from those of earlier conflicts, and the nature of military deployment is changing, with a much larger proportion of women and National Guard and Reservist personnel deployed for more contemporary conflicts. This highlights the relevance of additional deployment factors such as sexual harassment and concerns about life and family disruptions.

In addition, a growing body of research demonstrates the salience of war-related factors beyond exposure to combat experiences, for example, the impact of distressing or uncomfortable living conditions and perceptions of threat in the war zone. The DRRI was created to provide a more comprehensive assessment of the myriad contemporary deployment-related factors that may have implications for veterans’ long-term well-being.

DRRI scales were developed in a collaborative effort by Dr. Daniel King, Dr. Lynda King, and Dr. Dawne Vogt with support from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense (PG Grant DoD-87). Initial development and validation of the DRRI was completed in 2003.