One year after the 1982 Lebanon War, the authors assessed the
prevalence, type, and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder in a large
representative sample of Israeli soldiers who had been treated for combat
stress reactions. Comparisons were made with a group of soldiers who had
fought in the same battles but had not been treated for this reaction. A
dramatically higher percentage of soldiers with combat stress reaction
(59%) than of soldiers without combat stress reaction (16%) developed
posttraumatic stress disorder. Age was significantly associated with
posttraumatic stress disorder. The authors discuss the differential quality
of posttraumatic stress disorder among both groups as well as the factors
facilitating recovery.Abstract Teaser