Structural models of captivity trauma, resilience, and trauma response among former prisoners of war 20 to 40 years after release

Long-term responses to captivity trauma were measured in a national sample of American former prisoners of war. Their responses included negative affect, positive affect, and somatic symptoms as assessed by the Cornell Medical Index in 1967 and the Center for Epidemiological Study Depression Scale i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 1993-07, Vol.28 (3), p.109-115
Main Authors: ENGDAHL, B. E, HARKNESS, A. R, EBERLY, R. E, PAGE, W. E, BIELINSKI, J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Aged
Anxiety disorders. Neuroses
Biological and medical sciences
Depressive Disorder - diagnosis
Depressive Disorder - psychology
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
MMPI
Personality Inventory
Prisoners - psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Severity of Illness Index
Somatoform Disorders - etiology
Somatoform Disorders - psychology
Warfare
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Summary:Long-term responses to captivity trauma were measured in a national sample of American former prisoners of war. Their responses included negative affect, positive affect, and somatic symptoms as assessed by the Cornell Medical Index in 1967 and the Center for Epidemiological Study Depression Scale in 1985. These responses were strongly associated with captivity trauma (as indexed by captivity weight loss, torture, and disease) and resilience (as indexed by age and education at capture). Symptoms reported in 1967 were related to symptoms reported in 1985, suggesting symptom stability. These results are consistent with a model of trauma response that incorporates both trauma exposure and individual resilience. The findings are interpreted within a theoretical view of trauma response as adaptive when viewed from an evolutionary perspective.
ISSN:0933-7954
1433-9285
DOI:10.1007/BF00801740