Which Vietnam veterans develop posttraumatic stress disorders?

Abstract

Fifty Vietnam combat veterans diagnosed PTSD were compared with 50 controls, who were also combat veterans. The two groups were evaluated with a structured interview, and assessments were made of childhood and family histories, immediate preservice experiences, combat experiences, and postdischarge experiences. The two groups differed significantly in the intensity of their combat experiences and their perceptions of their homecoming experiences. Neither early history nor immediate preservice factors differentiated the two groups.

Antisocial behavior and post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans

“…In addition, no interactive effect of these variables was observed. This finding is consistent with results of previous studies with clinical samples (Carroll et al, 1985;Foy et al, 1984;Solkoff et al, 1986), as well as the results of a recent study that used multiple regression analyses in a non-help-seeking population (Foy & Card, 1987). The finding that level of combat exposure and premilitary adjustment were not related significantly is also consistent with the results of these studies.…”

“…Results of early studies that incorporated variables related to degree of combat exposure and premilitary adjustment, as well as operational definitions of DSM-I11 PTSD symptoms, implicated high degrees of combat as the primary factor in PTSD etiology, while premilitary adjustment variables were not related significantly to PTSD (Foy, Sipprelle, Rueger, & Carroll, 1984;Penk et al, 1981;Solkoff, Gray, & Keill, 1986). However, definitions of premilitary and postmilitary adjustment in these studies were fairly global and included not just behavioral adjustment of the veterans themselves, but also situational factors such as family and environmental characteristics.…”

Cognitive Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Evolution of Multirepresentational Theorizing.

“…3 First, several studies have indicated that a pretrauma personal psychiatric history predicts more severe posttraumatic stress reactions (e.g., Atkeson, Calhoun, Resick, & Ellis, 1982;Bremner, Southwick, Johnson, Yehuda, & Charney, 1993;Breslau, Davis, Andreski, & Peterson, 1991;Burgess & Holmstrom, 1978;Hough et al, 1990;Lopez-Ibor, Soria, Canas, & Rodrigues-Gamazo, 1985;McFarlane, 1988McFarlane, , 1989North, Smith, & Spitznagel, 1994). However, not all studies have found this relationship (Kilpatrick, Veronen, & Best, 1985;Madakasira & O'Brien, 1987;Solkoff, Gray, & Keill, 1986;Speed, Engdahl, Schwartz, & Eberly, 1989). Second, a family psychiatric history is also a significant risk factor (e.g., Brent et al, 1995;Breslau et al, 1991).…”

Prevalence and Patterns of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Abused and Postabused Women

“…The frequency and severity of traumatic experiences was cited as a major contributor to PTSD symptomatology across several trauma survivor groups (Foy & Card, 1987;Gallers, Foy, Donahoe, & Goldfarb, 1988;Greenwald & Leitenberg, 1990;Kilpatrick, Saunders, AmickMcMullen, Best, & Veronen, 1989;McLeer, Deblinger, Atkins, Foa, & Ralphe, 1988;Solkoff, Gray, & Keill, 1988;Wolfe, Gentile, & Wolfe, 1989). Five studies speci cally examining PTSD in battered women have identi ed a strong, positive correlation between severity of abuse and PTSD, that is, the more severe the battering episodes and injuries sustained, the greater the intensity of PTSD symptomology (Astin, Lawrence, & Foy, 1993;Astin, Lawrence, Pincus, & Foy, 1990;Astin, Ogland-Hand, Coleman, & Foy, 1995;Houskamp & Foy, 1991;Kemp, Rawlings, & Green, 1991).…”