Premilitary antecedents of post-traumatic stress disorder in an oregon cohort

Abstract

The role of premilitary factors in the development of combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder is unclear. A longitudinal survey of 52 Vietnam veterans, 48 Vietnam Era veterans (who served in the military, but not in Vietnam), and 51 nonveterans from an Oregon cohort suggests that while post‐traumatic stress disorder symptoms are associated with exposure to combat, level of combat is related to premilitary factors such as family SES and high school experience. Respondents from lower‐social‐class backgrounds were more likely to fail in school, and those who failed in school were more likely to enlist in the military and be sent to Vietnam. Those who experienced high levels of combat are more likely to have PTSD symptoms as long as 10 years after their return.