The Australian Vietnam Veterans Health Study: III. Psychological health of Australian vietnam veterans and its relationship to combat

Abstract

Background. Self-reported psychiatric status of Australian Vietnam war veterans was determined 20-25 years after the war and its relation to combat was investigated. Method. A simple random sample of Australian Army Vietnam veterans was interviewed nationally using standardized interviews and self-completion tests to assess the prevalence of lifetime and current psychiatric illness and its relationship to combat. Army records were used to extract data on the cohort for use in regression-based adjustment for non-response. Results. The conditions mainly affecting the Australian veterans were alcohol abuse or dependence, post-traumatic stress disorder, somatoform pain disorder and social and simple phobias. This profile is different from American studies of Vietnam veterans. All lifetime and 6-month recent disorders except depressive illness, melancholia, pathological gambling and somatization disorder were significantly related to combat exposure but not with posting to a combat unit. Less than half of the current one-month diagnoses were related to combat, possibly because of low power conferred by the relative rarity of these conditions. Conclusions. The results confirm a range of psychological problems in former warriors may linger 20 or more years from their war exposure and may be directly affected by exposure to war trauma.