title: Clinical characteristics of delayed and immediate-onset combat-induced post-traumatic stress disorder.
abstract: The aim of the current study is to examine the clinical characteristics of war-related disturbances among veterans with delayed and immediate-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One hundred twenty-five veterans who sought help for war-related disturbances, 8 years after the 1982 Lebanon War, filled out the PTSD Inventory, Impact of Event Scale, and SCL-90. Their scores were compared with those of 370 treated combat stress reaction casualties who filled out the questionnaires a year after the same war. Findings indicate that veterans from the delayed-helpseeking group suffer from a higher rate (92 vs. 59%) and a greater intensity of PTSD, more intrusive tendencies, and more severe general psychiatric symptomatology than those of the immediate-helpseeking group. These findings indicate that a fair number of combatants still seek help for war-related disturbances almost a decade after the war. The complex relationship between delayed-helpseeking and delayed-onset PTSD is discussed.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007557:Israel; D007861:Lebanon; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014857:Warfare