Characteristic expressions of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder among Israeli soldiers in the 1982 Lebanon War

Abstract

This study assessed the clinical picture of two groups of Israeli soldiers: front-line soldiers who had been treated for combat stress reaction during the 1982 Lebanon War (n = 382); and matched control front-line soldiers who did not sustain combat stress reaction (n = 334). Subjects were screened one year after the war for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychiatric symptomatology using the symptom checklist-90 (SCL-90). Results indicated that anxiety, depression, hostility, and obsessive-compulsive problems were the most salient features of PTSD among combat stress reaction casualties. The contribution of DSM-III criteria as well as their limitations in the diagnosis of PTSD are discussed.