The authors examined the effectiveness of the prevailing treatment
doctrine stressing the principles of proximity, immediacy, and expectancy
for combat stress reaction among Israeli soldiers in the Lebanon War. Two
treatment outcomes were measured: return to military unit and presence of
posttraumatic stress disorder. All three treatment principles were
associated with a higher rate of return to the military unit. The
beneficial effect of frontline treatment was also evidenced by lower rates
of posttraumatic stress disorder. The authors suggest that these principles
can also be effective in treating other forms of posttraumatic stress
disorder.
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