PTSD among Israeli former prisoners of war and soldiers with combat stress reaction: a longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the long-term impact of war captivity and combat stress reaction on rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Israeli veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. METHOD: One hundred sixty-four former prisoners of war (POWs), 112 veterans who had had combat stress reaction, and 184 combat veteran comparison subjects filled out the PTSD Inventory, a self-report scale based on the DSM-III-R criteria for PTSD. The inventory diagnoses past and present PTSD, assesses its intensity, and provides a symptom profile. RESULTS: Thirty-seven percent of the veterans who had had combat stress reaction, 23% of the former POWs, and 14% of the comparison subjects had had diagnosable PTSD at some time in the past. The current rates were 13%, 13%, and 3%, respectively. The results showed different recovery rates over time: almost two-thirds of the veterans with combat stress reaction who had had PTSD in the past recovered, while less than one-half of the POW group showed this improvement. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that small but significant proportions of the POWs and veterans with combat stress reaction were still suffering from PTSD almost two decades after the war. The different recovery rates in the two groups may reflect the differences in duration and severity of stressors, the impact of immediate intervention on long-term adjustment, or both.     

Stress reaction of school-age children to the bombardment by SCUD missiles.

Stress reactions of 5th-, 7th-, and 10th-grade children (N?=?492) exposed to missile attacks during the Persian Gulf War were examined a month after the war by a questionnaire that assessed level of exposure to trauma and psychological symptoms. Higher stress responses were obtained in areas hit and were influenced by proximity to sites or individuals involved in actual damage. Gender, age, and region interacted such that 5th-grade boys reported the highest stress reactions regardless of region, whereas 5th-grade girls reported the highest stress responses only in regions hit. Gender, age, and objective and subjective stress correctly identified 75% of the children as potential clinical or nonclinical candidates. The possible mediating coping responses and applications for high-risk groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Targeting implementation efforts for maximum satisfaction with new computer systems: Results from four human service agencies

Human service management needs to pinpoint the areas in which to concentrate computer implementation efforts in order to achieve maximum satisfaction with new systems. This study sought to identify the most salient factors affecting user satisfaction in management and client oriented computer systems in human services. Along with commonly used factors to assess user computer satisfaction (UCS), congruence with human service norms was added. UCS was evaluated in newly implemented computer systems in four human services. Two had introduced management oriented systems and two had introduced client oriented systems (N = 517). Hierarchical regression was conducted to assess the relative effects of four classes of variable (user, environmental, process, and system), on UCS. Contrary to expectations, results show that the two types of system were analogous with respect to contributing variables to UCS. Preparedness, importance to management, integration, usefulness, and technical support best predict UCS. Moreover, the systems did not differ with respect to congruence with human service norms, and this variable did not load on the regression. A discussion of the implications of these findings for implementation theory and human service management concludes the paper.     

Secondary traumatization among wives of posttraumatic combat veterans: A family typology.

Examined the relationship between family environment and the psychosocial adjustment of 127 wives of Israeli combat stress reaction (CSR) and 85 non-CSR veterans of the 1982 Lebanon War. Wives from conflict-oriented families were found to display the highest levels of psychological and behavioral problems, followed by wives from rigid-moral and midrange families. The healthiest wives in this sample came from expressive families. Results indicate that family environment has a similar effect on all wives, irrespective of whether or not the husband had suffered a wartime stress reaction. Findings show, however, that wives of traumatized veterans have to contend far more often than other wives with conflict and rigidity in family functioning, whereas wives of nontraumatized veterans tend to benefit from an expressive family environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping of school-age children in the sealed room during scud missile bombardment and postwar stress reactions.

Children's coping behaviors in the sealed room (a shelter against chemical and biological weapons) during scud missile attacks in the Persian Gulf War were examined in relation to postwar stress reactions. Three weeks after the war, 5th, 7th, and 10th graders (N?=?492) completed questionnaires assessing coping behaviors and emotional responses in the sealed room, as well as current stress reactions and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Despite an underlying feeling of tension, the dominant emotional stance in the sealed room was one of detached optimism. Common forms of coping involved information seeking, checking, and wishful thinking. Emotion-focused coping such as avoidance and distraction strategies was associated with less postwar stress reactions than persistence at direct problem-focused actions once the minimal actions available had been undertaken. Fifth graders were found to use less emotion-focused and more problem-focused coping strategies than were the 7th and 10th graders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)