title: Anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in Korean War veterans 50 years after the war.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There has been no comprehensive investigation of psychological health in Australia's Korean War veteran population, and few researchers are investigating the health of coalition Korean War veterans into old age.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between war service, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in Australia's 7525 surviving male Korean War veterans and a community comparison group.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey was conducted using a self-report postal questionnaire which included the PTSD Checklist, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and the Combat Exposure Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Post-traumatic stress disorder (OR 6.63, P<0.001), anxiety (OR 5.74, P<0.001) and depression (OR 5.45, P<0.001) were more prevalent in veterans than in the comparison group. These disorders were strongly associated with heavy combat and low rank.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effective intervention is necessary to reduce the considerable psychological morbidity experienced by Korean War veterans. Attention to risk factors and early intervention will be necessary to prevent similar long-term psychological morbidity in veterans of more recent conflicts.
authors.affiliation: Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Australia. jill.ikin@med.monash.edu.au
authors.forename: Jillian F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Ikin
authors.forename: Malcolm R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.forename: Dean P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Keith W A
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Horsley
authors.forename: Eileen J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jelfs
authors.forename: Warren K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Harrex
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Henderson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001315:Australia; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D047869:Korean War; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*