What are the long-term effects for civilians exposed to war stress?
Although most civilians who are exposed to war stress will not develop long-term mental-health problems, some will, particularly if they have been exposed to severe stressors. Much research on this topic has been conducted with Holocaust survivors. In a study of 124 Jewish Holocaust survivors, 46% met criteria for PTSD. In a community sample of Israelis age 75 and older, 27% of male and 18% of female Holocaust survivors met criteria for PTSD as compared to 4% percent of males and 8% of females who did not experience the Holocaust (8). These statistics make it clear that PTSD symptoms will persist throughout Holocaust survivors’ lifetimes. Similarly, data from a long-term follow-up study of civilians in Holland 50 years after World War II indicate that 4% of the population exposed to a war related event have PTSD. Only 1.5% of nonexposed individuals in this same category have PTSD (9).
