Psychological Sequelae of War A 2-Year Follow-up Study of Israeli Combat Stress Reaction Casualties

The relationships of two stress-related intrapsychic manifestations--intrusion and avoidance--to combat stress reaction and posttraumatic stress disorder were assessed 1 and 2 years after the 1982 Lebanon War. The sample consisted of 285 combat stress reaction Israeli casualties and 198 comparable control subjects. Results showed that higher rates of intrusion and avoidance were reported by both combat stress reaction and posttraumatic stress disorder casualties at the two points in time. In addition, the level of intrusion tendencies declined with time. Theoretical and methodological implications are discussed.