The authors reviewed the case records of a random sample of 126
Australian Vietnam veteran inpatients, recorded the diagnostic and
background data, and made new DSM-III diagnoses. Neurotic disorders
accounted for 49% of the primary or secondary diagnoses. Only 10% of the
overall sample had a primary diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder but
27% of the veterans who had seen combat had a primary diagnosis of the
disorder. Twenty-nine percent of the overall sample were given a primary
diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence. The early developmental
environment of the overall sample frequently included poor parent-child
relationships, high rates of parental separation, and family histories
dominated by parental alcohol abuse.
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