Positive and negative changes in the lives of Israeli former prisoners of war

The study of traumatic stress has been biased toward pathological perspecti ves, with relatively few investigations assessing salutogenic possibilities . The present study assesses (1) both positive and negative psychological c onsequences of war captivity, and (2) the contribution of specific stressor s and coping in captivity and at homecoming, to positive and negative chang es. Participants in the study were 1 64 ex-POWs and 1 84 comparable control s. Results indicated that in both groups positive changes were more frequen tly endorsed than negative ones. Ex-POWs and controls did not differ in pos itive changes, yet the former reported more negative changes than the latte r. The multidimensionality of human response to trauma is discussed. It is suggested that many trauma victims are able to compartmentalize their react ions and thus contain their distress so that it does not undermine subseque nt psychological growth.