title: Reliability and validity of a combat exposure index for Vietnam era veterans.
abstract: The reliability and validity of a self-report measure of combat exposure are examined in a cohort of male-male twin pairs who served in the military during the Vietnam era. Test-retest reliability for a five-level ordinal index of combat exposure is assessed by use of 192 duplicate sets of responses. The chance-corrected proportion in agreement (as measured by the kappa coefficient) is .84. As a measure of criterion-related validity, the combat index is correlated with the award of combat-related military medals ascertained from the military records. The probability of receiving a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge is associated strongly with the combat exposure index. These results show that this simple index is a reliable and valid measure of combat exposure.
authors.affiliation: Hines Veterans Administration Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Illinois.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Janes
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: True
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010556:Personality Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D014744:Vietnam