title: Post-traumatic stress disorder and coping in veterans who are seeking medical treatment.
abstract: The present study examined psychological coping styles and mental health treatment histories in veterans with PTSD. This study also served as a replication and extension of an earlier investigation that assessed the prevalence of PTSD in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam combat veterans who were seeking medical treatment. Thirty-six combat veteran medical patients were compared to 38 war-era controls. Nearly a third of the combat veterans met psychometric criteria for PTSD; none of the controls met these criteria. Both PTSD-positive subjects and mental health treatment seekers showed a significantly greater use of emotion-focused coping. Results also showed that Vietnam combatants were more likely to have received individual mental health treatment. These findings and their treatment implications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD, Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Blake
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Keane
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011613:Psychotherapy; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014744:Vietnam