HOPE, COPING, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT IN COMBAT-RELATED POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER

Dispositional hope, coping, and perceived social support were assessed among Vietnam combat veterans upon admission to and discharge from in patient treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans r eported lower dispositional hope than any previously described sample, and hope did not increase at discharge from treatment. At admission, higher hope was correlated with greater perceived social support comin g from family (this relationship persisted when controlling for depres sion and PTSD symptoms). At discharge, higher hope was associated with greater perceived social support coming from family and friends and t he use of adaptive coping strategies Results indicate that hope confer s a beneficial effect once veterans undergo treatment for combat-relat ed PTSD, a finding that suggests that hope may be ''gone but not lost' ' for these individuals.