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War is hell. And for many soldiers, the experience leaves lasting scars. And not just physical ones. A subset of veterans develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. But it might not be only the horrors of battle that make them susceptible. According to a study in the journal Psychological Science [link to come] echoes of childhood abuse may contribute.
Psychologists assessed the mental health of hundreds of Danish soldiers before, during and eight months after they were shipped to Afghanistan. Turns out the vast majority, some 84 percent, were resilient, showing no undue signs of stress at any time. A small number, about 4 percent, developed PTSD, with symptoms that showed up when the troops returned home.
When the researchers compared those two groups, they discovered that the cohort with PTSD had not been exposed to more battlefield trauma—but they were more likely to have experienced violence or abuse in civilian life, particularly as a child.
For the remaining soldiers, being deployed actually helped: something about being part of the team quelled the anxiety they started out with. That finding suggests that PTSD is not uniform, even for those in uniform. And that one man’s poison may be another man’s cure.
—Karen Hopkin
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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5 Comments
Add CommentAs a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, I can attest to the validity of this premise. I was also physically abused as a child; in subsequent therapy, my psychiatrist argued that I had "PTSD x 2."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI understand that "War" is hell.I've been told that life itself can be a "living hell". "War" is a bad business. It's not pretty. W.W.I wasn't pretty. W.W.II wasn't pretty. The Korean War wasn't pretty. The Vietnam War wasn't pretty.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhere is the "Declaration" of war? Who is the opposing army? Who are their leaders? What are the "terms" of surrender if any, on either side? What are our goals?
I admire the heroic efforts and deeds of our soldiers in such conflicts. My hope is that the government who sent them on their mission will also dedicate themselves to attending to their needs when they reach home.
Food for thought by Abraham Lincoln....”Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure”.
Abraham Lincoln
I'll only comment on one particular case because it was the most influential to me. I met a 19 year old US Army male in Afghanistan. His primary duty involved driving a bulldozer into the walls of a compound so that his platoon on the ground could penetrate. So imagine where a kid goes from playing football in high school and working on the family farm to a year later where he's driving a bulldozer in the middle of the winter through a hail of gun fire, grenades and rpgs. Now imagine him doing that a half a dozen or many dozens of times.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIMO, it's the system shock that affects the young and it is that which scars their minds potentially for life. But, how do you prepare the mind for that situation realistically?
During Vietnam, the drill sergeants were rough because they had to not only weed out the weak but also prepare soldiers to efficiently work under pressure. Not only have we systematically made BASIC and other "boot camps" gentle and politically correct but by doing so perhaps we have people in combat who shouldn't be there and people who are unprepared for the realities of war. Should soldiers be treated like humans? Absolutely, but there must be certain lines of practical wisdom that should not be crossed or manipulated because the cost is the destabilization of sanity. That's just my take from one young man. He was too young to do what he did... I think at least.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNot to take anything away from those brave men and women who serve in the military, but a recent study shows that US corrections officers have a PTSD rate of 31%. Desert Waters Correctional Outreach, Florence, Colorado has released its findings on PTSD among Correctional Staff.
The study conducted by Caterina G. Spinaris, Ph.D., Micheal D. Denhof, Ph.D. and Julie Kellaway, Ph.D., illustrates what those of us in our profession have long known, working in corrections takes a very high toll on those of us who make it a career.
Highlights of the study:
PTSD rates
General population 3.5%
Post 911 NYPD 7.2%
Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans 12-20%
Emergency Mgmt personnel 13.2%
Post 911 EMT’s 14.1%
Post 911 NYFD 14.3%
Canadian Correctional Officers 16-26%
US Correctional Staff non-security 23%
US Correctional Officers 31%
Over 3500 correctional staff participated in this study which was conducted under strict scientific guidelines. The findings should serve as a wake-up call.
“…. corrections environments represent uniquely unsafe workplaces due to repeated exposure to trauma, compared to most occupations. While not widely recognized, corrections professionals are exposed to the same types of VID-related events (events involving Violence, Injury or Death) as are emergency responders and war time military personnel, and they are potentially exposed to even more life-threatening experiences then law enforcement personnel over time (Finn, Talucci, & Wood, 2000).” Pge 5
“Beyond the issue of PTSD, the work demands unique to corrections professionals have been found to contribute to depression, lower physical health, more work-home conflict, increased negative affectivity and emotion-focused coping, burnout, decreased life satisfaction, decreased job satisfaction, and most serious of all - elevated suicide rates”
A correctional facility with 1,000 employees will lose over $830,000.00 in labor costs per year as a result of PTSD. (pge 26-27)
The full study:
http://www.correctionsfatigue.com/images/PTSD_Prevalence_in_Corrections_2012.pdf
With a suicide rate 39% higher than any other occupation in the country our very lives are at stake.
Brian Dawe, American Correctional Officer Intelligence Network at 307 880 9000 or check us out on the web at http://www.cointel.net/
Don't take this very technical declaration of war too seriously. The wars you have mention were all authorized by congress and supported by taxes if not debt. And polls showed overwhelming support by the general population. Any intimation that these wars are illegal and constitutionally invalid don't stand up to scrutiny. Unwise, perhaps. Those in disagreement with these decisions have thus far been in the considerable minority, right or wrong.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA second point. It has been stated that a declaration of war grants the POTUS and Congress substantially more power than he/she/they would ordinarily have.
Third, nothing in the Constitution requires Congress to declare war before or at any time as a prerequisite to taking military action.