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The Psychological Risks of Vietnam for U.S. Veterans: A Revisit with New Data and Methods
Bruce P. Dohrenwend,1,2,3*J. Blake Turner,3Nicholas A. Turse,3Ben G. Adams,4,5Karestan C. Koenen,6,7,8Randall Marshall1,2
In 1988, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS)of a representative sample of 1200 veterans estimated that 30.9%had developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during theirlifetimes and that 15.2% were currently suffering from PTSD.The study also found a strong dose-response relationship: Asretrospective reports of combat exposure increased, PTSD occurrenceincreased. Skeptics have argued that these results are inflatedby recall bias and other flaws. We used military records toconstruct a new exposure measure and to cross-check exposurereports in diagnoses of 260 NVVRS veterans. We found littleevidence of falsification, an even stronger dose-response relationship,and psychological costs that were lower than previously estimatedbut still substantial. According to our fully adjusted PTSDrates, 18.7% of the veterans had developed war-related PTSDduring their lifetimes and 9.1% were currently suffering fromPTSD 11 to 12 years after the war; current PTSD was typicallyassociated with moderate impairment.
1 New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY 10032, USA. 2 Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. 3 Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. 4 Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA. 5 Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11212, USA. 6 Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. 7 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA. 8 Department of Psychiatry, Boston University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dohrenw{at}pi.cpmc.columbia.edu
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In Science Magazine
LETTERS
Eric Vermetten, James D. Bremner, Leigh Skelton, David Spiegel;, Dean G. Kilpatrick;, Todd C. Buckley;, B. Christopher Frueh;, Richard J. Mcnally;, Bruce P. Dohrenwend, J. Blake Turner, Nicholas A. Turse, Ben G. Adams, Karestan C. Koenen, and Randall Marshall (12 January 2007) Science315 (5809), 184b.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.315.5809.184b] |Full Text »|PDF »
NEWS FOCUS
Greg Miller (18 August 2006) Science313 (5789), 908.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.313.5789.908] |Summary »|Full Text »|PDF »
PERSPECTIVES
Richard J. McNally (18 August 2006) Science313 (5789), 923.
[DOI: 10.1126/science.1132242] |Summary »|Full Text »|PDF »
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