A Life-span Perspective on Combat Exposure and PTSD Symptoms in Later Life: Findings From the VA Normative Aging Study.
OBJECTIVE
We tested a life-span model of combat exposure on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in later life, examining the direct and indirect effects of prewar, warzone, and postwar factors.


METHODS
The sample included 947 male World War II and Korean War veterans from the VA Normative Aging Study (Mage = 65, SD = 7). They completed mail surveys on childhood family environment, military service and postwar experience, stressful life events, and PTSD symptoms (response rates > 80%).


RESULTS
We constructed an initial path model testing cumulative advantage and disadvantage pathways. Although all hypothesized relationships were significant, the model was not a good fit to the data. Subsequent models showed that all three life-span periods had both direct and indirect effects on PTSD symptoms and that there were interesting cross-links between the two sets of pathways.


CONCLUSIONS
The life-span perspective provides a useful heuristic to model various developmental effects on later-life outcomes. A supportive childhood family environment can have lifelong protective effects, whereas a conflictual one can set up lifelong patterns of pessimistic appraisals.
Department of Psychology, Korea Military Academy, Seoul, South Korea.
Sungrok
S
Kang
Human Development and Family Sciences, School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. Carolyn.aldwin@oregonstate.edu.
Carolyn M
CM
Aldwin
Human Development and Family Sciences, School of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon.
Soyoung
S
Choun
Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System and Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
Avron
A
Spiro
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
Childhood family environment; Combat exposure; Homecoming; PTSD symptoms; Social support