The psychological risks of Vietnam: the NVVRS perspective.
In recent years, controversy concerning the psychological consequences of service in the Vietnam war has rearisen. In this article, the Co-Principal Investigators of the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) provide a perspective on new findings reported by B. P. Dohrenwend et al. (2006) that addresses criticisms of the NVVRS PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder) prevalence findings, and on a perspective that was provided by R. J. McNally (2006) in an accompanying commentary. They find that Dohrenwend et al.'s study, which evaluated empirically a variety of the critics' alternative explanations and found little support for any of them, represents a landmark contribution to the trauma field. However, they found that McNally's commentary misrepresented the history and context of the NVVRS, and then misinterpreted Dohrenwend et al.'s findings and their importance.
Schlenger
William E
WE
Abt Associates Inc., Durham, NC 27703, USA. bill_schlenger@abtassoc.com
Kulka
Richard A
RA
Fairbank
John A
JA
Hough
Richard L
RL
Jordan
B Kathleen
BK
Marmar
Charles R
CR
Weiss
Daniel S
DS
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D015982:Bias; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D047829:Vietnam Conflict