Prisoners of war.

Abstract

During military conflicts prisoners are often taken by the opposing force and held until the war ends, soinetimes for many years afterward. Each prisoner of war (POW) situation differs from every other, depending upon the time in history at which the incident occurred, the culture of the captor, the duration of captivity, its harshness, and the support received from others, both while in captivity as well as upon return, When attempting to delineate the long-term effects of a FOW experience, in addition to the factors already mentioned, one must also consider individual differences in abilities to withstand isolation, pain, and coercive persuasion (Hunter, 1983(Hunter, . 1991. Research on the Effects of Wartime CaptivityMany studies have been carried out worldwide to determine precisely what the physiological and psycho-