The long-term consequences of war: the experience of World War II.
Over 50 years after the end of the Second World War, the long-term effects of exposure to traumatic events continue to be felt by veterans around the world. In this study of British survivors of military service in World War II and the conflict in Korea, over 700 veterans completed a questionnaire about their wartime experiences and their current psychological reactions to the war. The findings indicated that 19 per cent of the sample were still experiencing war-related psychological distress. Former officers were found to experience lower levels of distress than those who had served as NCOs or privates (or the equivalent in the other two Services). Contrary to results from other studies, former Far East prisoners of war were not shown to experience greater distress than prisoners held in other theatres of conflict. 44 references.