COPING WITH WAR CAPTIVITY - THE ROLE OF SENSATION SEEKING

This study examines the implication of both sensation seeking and the subjective appraisal of captivity in the long-term adjustment of ex-pr isoners of war (ex-POWs). 164 Israeli ex-POWs and 184 comparable contr ols were studied, 18 years after their participation in Yom Kippur War . The findings indicate that high-sensation seekers adjusted better th an low-sensation seekers to the stresses of captivity. Low-sensation-s eeking ex-POWs reported more PTSD symptoms, more severe psychiatric sy mptomatology, and more intense intrusive and avoidance tendencies. Hig h- and low-sensation-seeking POWs differed also in feelings when taken prisoner, subjective assessment of suffering in prison, ways of copin g with prison, and emotional states during captivity. The present stud y supports the postulation that sensation seeking is an important stre ss-buffering personal resource. The role of coping styles in long-term adjustment following war captivity is discussed.