Battle events, acute combat stress reaction and long-term psychological sequelae of war

This study assesses the relationship between battle events and combat stress reaction manifestations, on the one hand, and long-term disorders, on the other. One hundred and four combat stress reaction casualties of the 1982 Lebanon War completed self-report questionnaires assessing their psychosocial status one year after combat. Results indicated a significant positive relationship between particular combat stress reaction manifestations and similar long-term disorders. Battle events were found to have a direct negative relationship with long-term disorders, but a positive indirect relationship via combat stress reaction. The discussion focused on the implications of combat experiences in the development and content of long-term disorders.