Convergent validity of measures of PTSD in Vietnam combat veterans

Article Abstract:

Approximately 479,000 Vietnam veterans suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric condition that results from a traumatic event or situation (e.g. war) that lies outside the scope of normal experience and involves a life-threatening event or witnessing the serious injury or death of another individual. Often, the victim in these situations is powerless to prevent the trauma. Symptoms of this disorder include persistent distressing recollections, dreams or intense feelings of the event, avoidance of situations which trigger recollection of the event, and symptoms of increased arousal, such as irritability, anger, or sleeplessness. There are currently a number of psychometric tests used to diagnose this condition. In this study, 130 Vietnam combat veterans were evaluated using several of these tests, the results of which were then compared with clinical symptoms as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, third edition, revised (DSM-III-R). The tests included the Impact of Event Scale, the PTSD subscale of the MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory), the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD, and the Vietnam Era Stress Inventory. The subjects had been referred to a clinic for intervention and diagnosis; 77 of the patients were psychiatric inpatients, while 53 were outpatients. The highest degree of correlation was found between the DSM-III-R criteria and Mississippi scale. In general, the validity of these psychometric measures in diagnosing the disorder was confirmed, as significant associations were found between the test results and the clinical criteria. It was surmised that the instruments measured slightly different phenomena, as the aspects of PTSD measured by each test were only moderately related to each other. It is suggested that in diagnosing PTSD, the use of multiple indicators is helpful, in addition to a structured interview. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Diagnosis, Complications and side effects, Influence, Stress (Psychology), Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975, War victims, Vietnam veterans, Psychic trauma, Trauma (Psychology)

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Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and somatic symptoms in U.S. Mien patients

Article Abstract:

The Mien people are an ethnic group from highland Laos, located in Southeast Asia. Eighty-four Mien refugees who escaped from Laos following the Indo-Chinese war were treated for psychiatric disorders at the Oregon Health Sciences University; the most common diagnoses were depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These patients typically had reached the United States only after surviving frightening escapes during which they were pursued by Communist soldiers; many families were separated and many Mien were wounded or killed. Difficulties with acculturation, poverty and unemployment followed their arrival in the United States. Of the 84 patients, 75 were diagnosed with depression and all of the latter sought help for somatic complaints such as headache or stomach pain rather than for the depression itself. Seventy-four of the 75 depressed patients had PTSD as well. The nine remaining patients had other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. The refugees reported excessive worrying, fear about the future, and poor concentration. Drug therapy was difficult because many of the Mien found the side effects of the antidepressant drugs intolerable; many did not take the medications but would not admit this, for fear of insulting their physicians. Specific drugs are discussed; only fluoxetine has been tolerated well by the Mien so far. The Mien belief system regarding the origin of illness conflicts with Western medical beliefs and practices, further complicating treatment. In refugees such as the Mien, PTSD must be viewed as a chronic disorder requiring long-term treatment, while depression may be less resistant to therapy. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Care and treatment, Drug therapy, Depression, Mental, Depression (Mood disorder), Refugees, Southeast Asian, Southeast Asian refugees

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