A LIFESPAN PERSPECTIVE ON COMBAT EXPOSURE AMONG KOREAN VIETNAM WAR VETERANS

Abstract

Although 320,000 South Korean army troops fought in the Vietnam War, few studies of Korean Vietnam War veterans exist. We used a lifespan developmental perspective to predict PTSD symptoms in later life among 450 male Korean Vietnam War veterans (Mage = 66.98, SD = 3.04). They completed mail surveys about prewar (prior stressors, childhood family environment), warzone (combat exposure, perceived control, unit cohesion, appraisals of military service), and postwar experiences (post-deployment stressors, social support, and PTSD symptoms). PTSD symptoms in later life were independently predicted by warzone (29.6%) and postwar factors (11.0%); some were protective (desirable appraisals and social support), but most were risk factors (combat exposure, unit cohesion, undesirable appraisals, and postdeployment stressors). While prewar variables accounted for 3.7% of the variance, they moderated the relationship between combat exposure and PTSD symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of a lifespan perspective on understanding the long-term impacts of combat exposure.