Posttraumatic stress disorder among Army Nurse Corps Vietnam veterans.

Abstract

Results are presented from an epidemiologic investigation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Army nurse veterans. Analysis of questionnaire data from more than 700 Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans still on active duty in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps reveals a current PTSD rate for Vietnam veteran nurses of 3.3%. This rate is comparable to that found among nonnurse active duty Army Vietnam veterans (5.1%) and is much lower than estimates (18%-54%) for civilian Vietnam veterans. Results suggest that danger and exposure to violence may be responsible for stress reactions such as PTSD among noncombatants. Additional results indicate that social support is an important moderator in the attenuation of PTSD.Research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans of the Vietnam conflict has focused primarily on the effects of combat participation in its etiology (DeFazio,

PTSD Symptom Severity and Family Adjustment Among Female Vietnam Veterans

“…Most of these women had little or no previous military experience, and may have been unprepared for dealing with the death and destruction of war, or perhaps the negative reaction received at homecoming. Not surprisingly, some of the adjustment difficulties that have been described in male Vietnam veterans have also been observed among female veterans, including symptoms of PTSD (Stretch, Vail, & Maloney, 1985). The NVVRS (Kulka et al, 1990a) revealed a PTSD rate of 8.5% among female theater veterans (those serving in Vietnam or its surrounding waters or air space during wartime), and an additional 7.2% displayed partial PTSD presentations.…”

The military nurse experience in Vietnam: Stress and impact

“…In their study of active duty Army nurses, Stretch et al, (1985) found that 72% of subjects stated that their service in Vietnam had a positive impact on their lives and 62% reported that they would be willing to serve in a similar war in the future. In their study of active duty Army nurses, Stretch et al, (1985) found that 72% of subjects stated that their service in Vietnam had a positive impact on their lives and 62% reported that they would be willing to serve in a similar war in the future.…”

The Psychobiology of Emotions

“…or blunted (reduced) emotional reactions rather than anxiety. A number of studies, however, suggest that PTSD may legitimately represent a "delayed" reaction to anxiety-provoking stimuli (see Stretch, Vail, & Maloney, 1985).…”