Patterns of appraisal and coping across different stressor conditions among former prisoners of war with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.
Little is known about how survivors of extreme events cope with traumatic memories and subsequent negative life experiences. The present study compared (a) repatriated prisoners of war (RPWs) from World War II (WW II) with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), (b) RPWs without PTSD, and (c) noncombat veterans on measures of general psychological functioning, appraisal, and coping. Appraisal and coping were assessed under 2 stressor conditions: memories of war/captivity and recent negative life events. RPWs with PTSD reported poorer general psychological functioning; significantly less control over memories of WW II: and more frequent use of self-isolation, wishful thinking, self-blame, and social support in an effort to cope with these memories than did the 2 comparison groups. Fewer between-groups differences were found for the recent stressor condition. Findings are discussed in terms of factors that may explain the perseverance of coping difficulties associated with PTSD.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Veterans
- Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
- Prisoners
- Male
- MMPI
- Humans
- Follow-Up Studies
- Combat Disorders
- Clinical Psychology
- Arousal
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Veterans
- Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
- Prisoners
- Male
- MMPI
- Humans
- Follow-Up Studies
- Combat Disorders
- Clinical Psychology
- Arousal