Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:333-336
Copyright © 1992 by American Psychiatric Association
Exposure to atrocities and severity of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam combat veterans
R Yehuda, SM Southwick and EL Giller Jr
Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Bronx, N.Y.
OBJECTIVE: The authors' objective was to explore aspects of trauma
associated with severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Vietnam
veterans. METHOD: Several ratings of stress exposure and symptom severity
were administered to 40 patients with combat-related PTSD. RESULTS: A
significant relationship was observed between exposure to atrocities and
the impact of PTSD on veterans' lives, as measured by the Mississippi Scale
for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Exposure to atrocities
was also significantly correlated with current symptom severity. In
contrast, combat exposure alone was not significantly associated with
overall symptom severity. Both atrocity and combat exposure, however, were
significantly related to reexperiencing symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The data
suggest that the enduring effect and severity of PTSD symptoms on an
individual are associated more with exposure to brutal human death and
suffering than the threat of death associated with combat.
