POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER IN A COMMUNITY GROUP OF FORMER PRISONERS OF WAR - A NORMATIVE RESPONSE TO SEVERE TRAUMA

Objective: The goal of this study was to asses and describe the long-t erm impact of traumatic prisoner of war (POW) experiences within the c ontext of posttraumatic psychopathology. Specifically, the authors att empted to investigate the relative degree of normative response repres ented by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in comparison to other D SM axis I disorders often found to be present, either alone or concomi tant with other disorders, in survivors of trauma. Method: A community group of 262 U.S. World War II and Korean War former POWs was recruit ed. These men had been exposed to the multiple traumas of combat, capt ure, and imprisonment, yet few had ever sought mental health treatment . They were assessed for psychopathology with diagnostic interviews an d psychodiagnostic testing. Regression analyses were used to assess th e contributions of age at capture, war trauma, and postwar social supp ort to PTSD and the other diagnosed disorders. Results: More than half of the men (53%) met criteria for lifetime PTSD, and 29% met criteria for current PTSD. The most severely traumatized group (POWs held by t he Japanese) had PTSD lifetime rates of 84% and current rates of 59%. Fifty-five percent of those with current PTSD were free from the other current axis I disorders (uncomplicated PTSD). In addition, 34% of th ose with lifetime PTSD had PTSD as their only lifetime axis I diagnosi s. Regression analyses indicated that age at capture, severity of expo sure to trauma, and postmilitary social support were moderately predic tive of PTSD and only weakly predictive of other disorders. Conclusion s: These findings indicate that PTSD is a persistent, normative, and p rimary consequence of exposure to severe trauma.