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.
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