title: Mental health officers' causal explanations of combat stress reaction.
abstract: This study examined causal attributions for combat stress reaction (CSR) among 117 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) mental health officers. The impact of case characteristics (the level of objective stress in the situation, reaction of others in the same situation, soldier's previous functioning, and type of symptomatology) and respondent characteristics (professional affiliation, therapeutic orientation) on these attributions was also examined. Results show that mental health officers view CSR primarily as a response to external circumstances; it is not generally seen as resulting from personality traits or intrapsychic processes. Findings also indicate that causal attributions were influenced at least to some degree by the clinicians' professional affiliation, their therapeutic orientation, and their knowledge of the casualty's prior functioning.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health Department, Medical Corps, Israel Defense Forces.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shalom
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benbenishty
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Solomon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011570:Psychiatry; D011584:Psychology; D011592:Psychology, Military; D012947:Social Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires