Long-Term Reactions of Veterans to the War Experience

Prikazana je povijest dugoročnih posttraumatskih reakcija ratnih veterana. Tijekom Prvoga svjetskog rata najčešće je bio opažen šok što ga prouzroči učinak granate, poremećaj u kome su prevladavale konverzivne reakcije. Mnogi veterani Drugoga svjetskog rata patili su od ratne iscrpljenosti. Pojam posttraumatski stresni poremećaj uveden je 1980., a utemeljen je na istraživanjima provedenim na američkim veteranima Vijetnamskog rata. Razmotrene su prednosti i ograničenja ove nove dijagnostičke kategorije.The history of long-term posttraumatic reactions in war veterans is described. During World War I shell shock - a disorder with predominantly conversion reactions - was most commonly observed. Many veterans of the World War II suffered from combat exhaustion. In 1980, based on studies of American Vietnam War veterans, the posttraumatic stress disorder was intorduced. The advantages and limitations of this new diagnostic category are discussed

War stress and late-life mortality in World War II civilian resistance veterans.

The mental and physical health of 146 Dutch males exposed to severe war stress during their young adulthood were examined in 1986-1987 when they were at ages 61 to 66 years. The veterans' data were compared with a randomly selected population-based sample of same-aged males. In 2005, 70% of the war stress veterans had died, and only 35% of the comparison group. The baseline quality of life was significantly poorer in the war stress veterans than in the comparison group. Baseline variables explained 42% of the increased risk of mortality among war stress veterans. Smoking was the largest single contributor to mortality