The Impact of Early Life War Exposure on Mental Health among Older Adults in Northern and Central Vietnam

Abstract

Most Vietnamese young adults who experienced the American War were exposed to war-related violence, which can exert a lifelong impact. We analyze survey data collected among northern and central Vietnamese older adults in the 2018 Vietnam Health and Aging Study (N = 2,447) to examine the association between various war traumas, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation. Informed by life course and stress process perspectives, we use structural equation models with multiple mediators to analyze the relationship between mental health outcomes and five types of wartime stress exposure: loss of family and friends, witnessing death, malevolent living conditions, life threat, and moral injury. Our findings reveal enduring mental health impacts of war among survivors. Wartime stress exposure’s influence on mental health is mediated by recent comorbidities and stressful life events. Loss of family members, witnessing death, and malevolent living conditions during war are particularly salient risks for psychological distress.

Linking Trait Affectivity, Cognitive Ability, and Preferences Among Top Managers: Insights From a Lab-In-The-Field Experiment

“…In contrast, in the case of managers born after the Vietnam War, we observe that their loss aversion and present bias levels are not affected by their NA levels. One potential explanation for these results is that managers who were born during the Vietnam War have higher NA than those managers who were born after because they were exposed to war-related violence, such as death and injury, loss of family and friends, and threat and endangerment, which could have lifelong impacts (Kovnick et al, 2021). It is well documented in the current psychology literature that a traumatic experience shapes a person’s behaviour in adulthood (O’Sullivan et al, 2021).…”

War-Related Life Course Stress and Late-Life Subjective Age in Northern Vietnam

“…Finally, numerous studies observe significant associations between mental health and subjective age ( Bergland et al, 2014 ; Alonso Debreczeni & Bailey, 2021 ). In the Vietnamese context, where those exposed to more severe war stressors in early life experience greater levels of psychological distress in older adulthood ( Kovnick et al, 2021 ), symptoms of psychological distress are conceived as mediating the association between early life stress and subjective age.…”

“…Several previous studies demonstrate that older adults exposed to severe war-related stressors in the 1960s and 1970s Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) experience penalties in late-life cardiovascular disease, mental health, frailty, and other conditions ( Korinek et al, 2020 ; Kovnick et al, 2021 ; Zimmer et al, 2022 ). Vietnam’s twentieth-century history, which encompassed several wars and massive economic restructuring, also occasioned severe poverty and hunger for major population segments ( Witter 1996 ).…”

Care Needs and Arrangements of Aging Immigrants in the United States

“…While later-life migrants on the other hand have fewer years of exposure to discriminatory conditions in the United States, this comes with less familiarity and access to U.S. labor markets, health care institutions, and social networks, creating disadvantages for well-being in old age. Furthermore, early-life adversities experienced in sending countries, such as war, famine, or exposure to violence, may impact the aging-related health of later-life migrants (Crocker, 2021; Elo & Preston, 1992; Gubernskaya & Kim, 2018; Kovnick et al, 2021). Considering the rising proportion of later-life migrants among both immigrant and aging populations (Carr & Tienda, 2013; Mizoguchi et al, 2019; Pew Research Center, 2015), it is increasingly important to understand how life stage at migration influences the personal care needs and care arrangements of aging immigrants.…”