A Comparison Study of Coping Strategies and Psychological Distress in OEF/OIF and Vietnam Era Combat Veterans.

摘要

Do veterans from Vietnam and OEF/OIF combat eras differ in the strategies they use to cope with trauma or the symptoms they endorse when presenting for treatment? Using data collected from 226 patients enrolled in a VA medical center's PTSD Clinic, this study investigated whether coping strategies and symptoms of distress differ between these two cohorts. Previous findings suggest that veterans of these eras may differ in reports of traumatic stress (Erbes, Curry, & Leskela, 2009). How robust these differences are remains unclear (Fontana & Rosenheck, 2008; Chard, Schumm, Owens, & Cottingham, 2010). In addition, differences in coping strategies between cohorts have not been investigated. Whether cohort membership predicts coping strategies and psychological distress was investigated by examining scores on the PTSD Checklist (Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 1993), the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996), and the Coping Strategies Inventory (Tobin, Helroyd, Reynolds, & Wigal 1989).