Dursa, Erin K, Cypel, Yasmin S, Culpepper, William J et al. · Journal of women's health (2002) · 2025 · DOI
This study surveyed thousands of veterans from recent U.S. military operations to compare the health problems experienced by female and male veterans. Female veterans reported chronic fatigue syndrome, along with several other conditions like arthritis, migraine, and depression, at higher rates than male veterans. The findings show that both female and male veterans who had deployed experienced more health problems overall compared to non-veterans.
This study provides epidemiological evidence that chronic fatigue syndrome is significantly more prevalent in female veterans, a largely understudied population. Understanding ME/CFS burden across different demographic groups and exposure contexts (deployment vs. non-deployment) can inform targeted diagnostic and treatment efforts. The findings underscore that female-specific health impacts of military service warrant greater research and clinical attention.
This study does not establish causal mechanisms—it cannot prove that military deployment *caused* chronic fatigue syndrome or other conditions, only that prevalence is elevated. The cross-sectional design captures lifetime prevalence estimates at a single time point, so temporal relationships and factors contributing to CFS development remain unclear. The study cannot determine whether sex differences reflect biological susceptibility, reporting differences, or differential exposure to specific deployment-related stressors.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Dursa, Erin K, Cypel, Yasmin S, Culpepper, William J, Bernhard, Paul A, & Schneiderman, Aaron I (2025). The Physical and Mental Health of Post-9/11 Female and Male Veterans: Findings from the Comparative Health Assessment Interview Research Study.. Journal of women's health (2002). https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2024.0605
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-dursa-2025-physical-mental,
author = {Dursa, Erin K and Cypel, Yasmin S and Culpepper, William J and Bernhard, Paul A and Schneiderman, Aaron I},
title = {The Physical and Mental Health of Post-9/11 Female and Male Veterans: Findings from the Comparative Health Assessment Interview Research Study.},
journal = {Journal of women's health (2002)},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1089/jwh.2024.0605},
note = {PubMed: 39964833},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/dursa-2025-physical-mental},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/dursa-2025-physical-mental
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