Differential impact of type of killing on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in U.S. Army soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.

Publisher: Wiley Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8809259 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-6598 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08949867 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Trauma Stress Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: 2005- : Hoboken, NJ : Wiley
Original Publication: New York ; London : Plenum Press, c1988-

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*/psychology ; Military Personnel*/psychology; Humans ; Afghanistan ; Iraq ; Iraq War, 2003-2011

Over the past 20 years, U.S. military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been marked by high rates of combat and wartime killings. Research on Vietnam-era service members suggests that the type of killing (i.e., killing a combatant vs. noncombatant) is an important predictor of later mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study aimed to update these findings by exploring the impact of type of killing on PTSD symptoms using a sample of postdeployment active duty U.S. Army personnel (N = 875). Using multiple regression analysis, we found that the act of killing a noncombatant was significantly associated with PTSD symptoms, B = 7.50, p < .001, whereas killing a combatant was not, B = -0.85, p = .360. This remained significant after controlling for demographic variables, depressive symptoms, and general combat experiences. These findings support the need for thoughtful postdeployment screenings and targeted clinical interventions.
(© 2023 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.)

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Date Created: 20230913 Date Completed: 20231216 Latest Revision: 20231226

20231227

10.1002/jts.22971

37705140