Building Robustness Research during World War II

This study reviews research carried out in the U.K. to understand and improve the robustness of buildings when subject to blast from high explosive bombs. The work concentrates on the performance of ordinary civilian buildings, with particular emphasis on multistory buildings framed in either reinforced concrete or structural steelwork. At that time, some of the data were used to enhance conventional building construction, principally on government buildings, and some were used to aid postwar hardened building construction. The two main U.K. researchers whose work is the basis of this paper (Professor Sir Dermot Christopherson and Professor Lord Baker) identified a number of building weaknesses that led to local or progressive collapse, including connections in steel-framed buildings, as well as detailing weaknesses in reinforced concrete constructions. This paper reviews these features, as well as those that added resilience to bomb damage, with particular emphasis to the use of masonry infill panels in framed buildings. Much of the information on building performance is relevant to today’s engineers engaged in the design of buildings to survive blast from terrorist attacks involving a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device.     

American psychologists and wartime research on Germany, 1941–1945.

During World War II, behavioral scientists working for several US agencies (principally the Office of Strategic Services, but also the Office of War Information, the Strategic Bombing Survey, and military authorities) advanced personality and social psychology through their investigations of the nature of Nazism, Adolf Hitler's personality, the German national character, and Germans' reactions to the war. Studies by E. Erikson, W. Langer, H. Murray, and others illustrate psychologists' efforts to meld professional and patriotic interests. Although not uniformly successful, and apparently without influence on the conduct of the war and occupation, these works were sometimes innovative and generally anticipated psychology's increased status, influence, and interaction with other disciplines and with the government after the war. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mortality of workers hired during World War II

There has been some suggestion that men first hired during World War II do not show the typical healthy worker effect and may have been more unhealthy than their counterparts who entered military service. We have studied 41,000 workers at six plants to determine whether men hired during World War II had higher mortality than men hired just before or after WWII. No evidence was found of any "unhealthy WWII worker" effect.     

A comment on World War II repression.

B. P. Karon and A. J. Widener (1997) asserted that World War II combat neuroses provide "ample evidence" (p. 339) of repressed memory. The primary item of supporting evidence, an anecdote about an airman injured in a crash and treated by a Veterans Affairs psychiatrist after the war, is contradicted by reference data indicating that the aircraft described in the anecdote (a two-man bomber with a tailgunner in a separate tail turret) did not exist. When informed of this problem, A. J. Widener provided a list of aircraft allegedly fitting the profile, but none actually does so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Traumatic war stressors and psychiatric symptoms among World War II, Korean, and Vietnam War veterans.

Three hypotheses regarding symptoms of war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and general psychiatric distress were tested: that symptoms are more severe the more severe the traumatic exposure, regardless of the war in question; that symptoms are less severe the older the veterans' age; and that symptom levels differ across sociocultural cohorts. A total of 5,138 war zone veterans who were seeking treatment from specialized Veterans Affairs outpatient clinical teams made up the sample: 320 World War II, 199 Korean War, and 4,619 Vietnam War veterans. All hypotheses were supported significantly. The similarity of relationships between traumatic exposure and symptoms across wars testifies to the generality of these experiences. Furthermore, the results suggest the operation of significant effects due both to aging and to cohort differences in sociocultural attitudes toward the stigma of mental illness and the popularity of the wars. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological assessment of aviators captured in World War II.

Psychological assessments, including administration of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and structured interviews for Axis I mental disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) specifically, were used to describe 33 World War II (WWII) aviators who were held as prisoners of war (POWs) for an average of 14 months. Results showed more elevated MMPI profile patterns than expected given previous research with pilots (J. N. Butcher, 1994) and rates of current and lifetime PTSD at 33%, reasoned to derive from POW trauma. Despite this level of psychopathology, WWII aviator POW survivors were found to be more resilient to captivity effects than age-similar nonaviator WWII POW survivors characterized generally by less advantages in education, military rank, and other personal resources. Compared with aviator former POWs of the Vietnam War studied in their mid-life years (R. J. Ursano et al, 1981), the present sample appeared to be less psychologically robust. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of aerospace medicine in Serbia before World War II

According to the last Island-wide survey carried out in 1982 in Puerto Rico, the cesarean rate for the trienium of 1980-82 was estimated in 27 percent. Since 1989, an item about the type of delivery has been included in the live birth certificate. These data indicate that the incidence of cesarean deliveries continued to increase and by 1994 it amounted to 31 percent, undoubtedly the highest rate of the world. However, its fluctuation since 1990 suggests that this type of delivery has finally steadied in Puerto Rico. The high proportion of repeated cesareans and the low percentage of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) deliveries were important factors contributing to the overall rate. Unexpectedly high risk mothers such as, adolescents, unwed and those of the lower socioeconomic status had highest cesarean rates than their encounterparts. Similarly, mothers who had the most adequate prenatal care had the highest percentages of surgical deliveries. In spite of dealing with a selected clientele, the cesarean rate in private hospitals was more than twice that of public institutions. In fact, a multiple correlation analysis demonstrate that the type of hospital of delivery was the most important correlate of a cesarean.     

Assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder in World War II veterans.

Four posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scales were compared in a community sample of 330 American former prisoners of war and combat veterans of World War II. The Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD), the MMPI-2 Pk PTSD scale, and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) all demonstrated moderate relationships with PTSD as defined by the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised (DSM-III-R). Comparative validities were similar to those observed in Vietnam veteran samples. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 3 scales loaded significantly on 1 factor. The impact of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) PTSD criteria changes was examined and found to be minimal. Implications for the use of the M-PTSD, Pk, and IES in combat-related PTSD assessment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic analysis of drinking behavior in World War II veteran twins

The objective of the present study was to investigate longitudinal changes in drinking behaviors of adult male twins and model these changes as a function of genetic and environmental influences. Alcohol data available for World War II veteran twins, first surveyed in 1967-69 and followed up during 1983-85, were used to examine components of variability in measures of alcohol consumption. Multivariate biometric analysis of these data indicated 1) longitudinal stability of drinking behaviors in this cohort, 2) a significant contribution of genetic factors to the observed stability that accounted for more than 80% of the stable variation in frequency and in quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion, and 3) evidence for a significant contribution of shared environmental influences to drinking of specific beverages (e.g., wine). The implications of these results for issues of health in the elderly are considered.     

Secondary traumatization in Dutch couples of World War II survivors.

This study examined whether signs of secondary traumatic stress were present in a community sample of couples who experienced World War II. The authors hypothesized that symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in either spouse may be predicted not only by his or her own war experiences but also by the war experiences and posttraumatic symptoms of the partner. Approximately 50 years after the end of World War II, 444 couples from a community sample of elderly Dutch citizens answered a questionnaire. A multilevel regression analysis was performed with symptoms of PTSD as the dependent variable. The most important predictors of PTSD symptoms were the number of war events reported by the participant and the current level of PTSD symptoms of his or her spouse. The results lend empirical support to the notion that posttraumatic stress reactions of both members of a couple are not independent from each other. Several explanations of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Current Relationship Functioning Among World War II Ex-Prisoners of War.

This study examined the association of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the quality of intimate relationships among present-day male World War II ex-prisoners of war (POWs). Ex-POWs had considerable marital stability; those with PTSD were no less likely to be in an intimate relationship. Ex-POWs in an intimate relationship who had PTSD (N=125 ) were compared with ex-POWs in a relationship who did not have PTSD (N=206). Marital functioning was within a range expected for persons without traumatic exposure. Yet, over 30% of those with PTSD reported relationship problems compared with only 11% of those without PTSD. Ex-POWs with PTSD reported poorer adjustment and communication with their partners and more difficulties with intimacy. Emotional numbing was significantly associated with relationship difficulties independent of other symptom complexes and severity of PTSD. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Repressed memories and World War II: Some cautionary notes.

In a recent article in this journal, B. P. Karon and A. J. Widener (1997) argued that clinical data derived from WWII veterans provide unambiguous evidence for the existence of repressed and recovered memories. In response, the authors contend that (a) the research evidence for the existence of repression is considerably weaker than asserted by Karon and Widener, (b) the use of hypnosis and sodium pentathol to recover memories is more problematic than implied by Karon and Widener, and (c) the case study presented by Karon and Widener is difficult to interpret for a variety of reasons. The authors conclude that although further examination of case reports from WWII veterans is clearly warranted, it would be premature to conclude that these reports confirm the existence of repressed and recovered memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Repressed memories and World War II: Lest we forget!

The war neuroses of World War II (WWII) provide ample evidence that repression does indeed occur, and that the recovery of these traumatic memories and their related affects led to remission of symptoms. Moreover, these recovered memories were of events that had occurred. An illustrative case history from WWII is described. This well-documented body of data, well-known at the time, seems to have been forgotten in current discussions concerning repressed memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Making of Contemporary American Psychiatry, Part 1: Patients, Treatments, and Therapeutic Rationales Before and After World War II.

This article, the 1st in a 2-part series, uses patient records from California's Stockton State Hospital to unearth the midcentury roots of contemporary American psychiatry. These patient records allow the authors to examine 2 transformations: the post-World War II expansion of psychiatry to include the diagnosis and treatment not only of psychotic patients but also of nonpsychotic patients suffering from problems of everyday living, and the 1950s introduction of the first psychotropic drugs, which cemented the medical status of these new disorders, thus linking a new therapeutic rationale to biological understandings of disease. These transformations laid the groundwork for a contemporary psychiatry characterized by voluntary outpatient care, pharmacological treatment of a wide range of behaviors and distress, and a doctor-patient relationship and cultural acceptance of disease that allow psychiatric patients to identify themselves as consumers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women ground-breakers in Canadian psychology: World War II and its aftermath.

Examined how successful 11 highly qualified pioneering women in psychology had been in pursuing their careers and how those careers were like or unlike those of 10 male counterparts during World War II. The impact of war-time achievements on their status was explored through a study of the postwar participation of women in the power structure of the Canadian Psychological Association and through a comparative study of the careers of the women and men who obtained PhDs in psychology at the University of Toronto before, during, and just after the war. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)