Social support in Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: A comparative analysis.

Conducted a comparative analysis of the social-support systems of 45 Vietnam-era veterans (mean age 36.69 yrs), including 15 Ss in a program designed to evaluate and treat combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 15 well-adjusted Ss with no symptoms of PTSD, and 15 medical-service inpatients without combat exposure or PTSD. Retrospective reports of social support were obtained from each group for 3 life periods: 1–3 mo prior to entering the service, 1–3 mo following discharge from the service, and at the present time. Indexes of social support included social network size, material support, physical support, sharing, advice, and positive social interactions. Prior to Vietnam, all 3 groups reported comparable levels of support across all dimensions. For PTSD Ss, qualitative and quantitative measures of social support systematically declined over time to low levels at the present time period. For the remaining Ss, the social support was either stable or improved over time. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)