ASSESSMENT OF PTSD AND OTHER MENTAL-DISORDERS IN WORLD-WAR-II AND KOREAN CONFLICT POW SURVIVORS AND COMBAT VETERANS

Mental disorders were assessed in 326 prisoners of war (POWs) of the W orld War II (WWII) European theater, WWII Pacific theater, and Korean Conflict ( KC) and in combat veterans of both wars. Diagnoses were ide ntified using a structured diagnostic interview including a posttrauma tic stress disorder( PTSD) module. POW trauma severity was measured by a trauma events index, captivity weight loss, and captivity duration. KC and WWII Pacific former POWs reported the most extreme trauma and, as hypothesized, showed highest prevalences of lifetime and current m ental disorders and PTSD. POW subgroups exhibited greater psychopathol ogy than combat veterans. PTSD was frequently associated with other me ntal disorders and found in high prevalences in all subgroups, pointin g to the persistent, far-reaching impact of combat and POW experiences on mental health.