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Stress, Exposure to Combat Events, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Military Veterans

A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 2746

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Military Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
2. School of Social Work, Sapir Academic College, D. N. Hof Ashkelon 79165, Israel
Interests: suicide; suicide attempt; wounds and injuries; posttraumatic stress disorder; military

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Exposure to a combat zone, or exposure to casualties and corpses during combat missions, may cause emotional distress. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders affecting military personnel caused by trauma. In addition to being life-threatening, the combat zone exposes combatants to various other stressors. Military personnel have a greater risk of developing PTSD than the general population. Military veterans with combat-related PTSD experience substantial negative short- and long-term consequences on individual quality of life, health status, personal and family functioning, performance and effectiveness in the workplace, interest in leisure activities, and maintaining one’s job. One of the severe consequences is suicide behavior.

Much research has been devoted to this topic. However, despite the rich literature on this topic, many questions remain. Further investigation is necessary to understand the possible differences in the impact of significant life changes occurring in the world—whether permanent or temporary (such as the COVID-19 pandemic)—on PTSD among military personnel. This Special Issue intends to bring to the reader new, up-to-date research on the fascinating and vital subject of PTSD, as well as literature reviews summarizing the current knowledge on this topic.

Dr. Leah Shelef
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • suicide
  • wounds and injuries
  • posttraumatic stress disorder
  • military
  • combat

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 717 KiB  
Article
Behavioral Self-Blame in PTSD—Etiology, Risk Factors, and Proposed Interventions
by Aviad Raz, Ravit Rubinstein, Eran Shadach, Gal Chaikin, Ariel Ben Yehuda, Lucian Tatsa-Laur, Ron Kedem and Leah Shelef
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(15), 6530; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20156530 - 5 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2187
Abstract
Background: Feeling out of control during a traumatic event may evoke behavioral self-blame (BSB) to avoid feeling helpless following trauma by restoring one’s sense of control. BSB is a common, persistent, and treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress symptom. The present study investigates the etiology and [...] Read more.
Background: Feeling out of control during a traumatic event may evoke behavioral self-blame (BSB) to avoid feeling helpless following trauma by restoring one’s sense of control. BSB is a common, persistent, and treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress symptom. The present study investigates the etiology and risk factors of BSB following a traumatic event and the reasons for its persistence over time. Method: Subjects were a group of 546 Israeli ex-combat soldiers (M age = 24.93 ± 5.657) registered in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat reaction clinic. All completed the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5). Item 10 of the PCL-5 served to measure BSB. The PDEQ and BSI measured distress and feeling out of control during the event. We used descriptive analyses of the data, t-test, and linear regression analysis to reveal the relationship between the research variables. Results: Feeling out of control during a traumatic event often increases BSB and post-traumatic stress symptoms. A significant correlation emerged between continuing distress characterizing individuals who experience a persistent lack of control and BSB. Female combat soldiers were at a higher risk of BSB than their male counterparts. Conclusion: Loss of control experienced during a traumatic event may result in persistent long-term feelings of lack of control over one’s behavior. Full article
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