Perpetration-induced traumatic stress in combat veterans.

Abstract

The hypothesis that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) associated with killing is more severe than that associated with other traumas causing PTSD was tested on U.S. government data from Vietnam war veterans. This large stratified random sample, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS), allows for generalizable findings. Results showed that PTSD scores were higher for those who said they killed compared to those who did not. Scores were even higher for those who said they were directly involved in atrocities compared to those who only saw them. PTSD scores also remained high for those who said they had killed, but in traditional combat form. The data did not support the alternative explanations that higher battle intensity or a predisposition to over-reporting of symptoms might account for these findings.