Je. Mccarroll et al., SYMPTOMS OF PTSD FOLLOWING RECOVERY OF WAR DEAD - 13-15-MONTH FOLLOW-UP, The American journal of psychiatry, 152(6), 1995, pp. 939-941
Objective: The authors explored whether individuals who participated I
n the recovery of war dead were more likely to experience later sympto
ms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than were individuals who w
ere not involved in the recovery of war dead. Method: PTSD symptoms we
re assessed by questionnaire in men and women who had or had not handl
ed human remains during the Persian Gulf War: 116 melt and women who h
ad and 118 who had not handled human remains participated in the study
3-5 months after returning from the war; 55 of the subjects who had a
nd 56 of those who had not handled human remains participated in a fol
low-up assessment 13-15 months after their return. Results: Subjects w
ho had been involved in the recovery of war dead had significantly hig
her symptom levels than comparison subjects at both time points. Concl
usions: After more than 1 year, individuals who had handled human rema
ins during wartime were at higher risk for PTSD symptoms than those wh
o had not.