A twin study of the effects of the Vietnam War on posttraumatic stress disorder

J. Goldberg, W. R. True, S. A. Eisen and W. G. Henderson
Hines (III) VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center, Chicago.

This study evaluates the impact of military service during the Vietnam era (1965 to 1975) on posttraumatic stress disorder using a sample of 2092 male-male, monozygotic, veteran twin pairs. Data were collected in 1987 using mail and telephone interviews. In 715 monozygotic twin pairs who were discordant for military service in southeast Asia (SEA), posttraumatic stress disorder was found to be strongly associated with military service in SEA. The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder was 16.8% in twins who served in SEA compared with 5.0% in co-twins who did not serve in SEA. There was a ninefold increase in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (95% confidence interval, 4.8 to 17.6), comparing twins who experienced high levels of combat with their co-twin who did not serve in SEA. Our results demonstrate that nearly 15 years following the end of the Vietnam War, there remains a substantially increased prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder among veterans who served in SEA.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Mental health of US Gulf War veterans 10 years after the war
Toomey et al.
Br. J. Psychiatry 2007;190:385-393.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: A Comparison of Child Survivors of Pediatric Cancer and Parental Bereavement
Stoppelbein et al.
J Pediatr Psychol 2006;31:367-376.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Life-Course Analysis of Military Service in Vietnam
Wright et al.
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 2005;42:55-83.
ABSTRACT  

Physiologic Responses to Sudden, Loud Tones in Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Combat Exposure: Association With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Orr et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003;60:283-288.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Twin Study of the Neuropsychological Consequences of Stimulant Abuse
Toomey et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2003;60:303-310.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Twin Study
Stein et al.
Am. J. Psychiatry 2002;159:1675-1681.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Revisited
Lamprecht and Sack
Psychosom. Med. 2002;64:222-237.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Genetic Factors in Self-reported Snoring and Excessive Daytime Sleepiness . A Twin Study
CARMELLI et al.
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 2001;164:949-952.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Occupational risk factors for ill health in Gulf veterans of the United Kingdom
Ismail et al.
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2000;54:834-838.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Glucocorticoids and Hippocampal Atrophy in Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Sapolsky
Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:925-935.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

A Prospective Study of Heart Rate Response Following Trauma and the Subsequent Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Shalev et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1998;55:553-559.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Veterans of a Secret War: Survivors of Childhood Sexual Trauma Compared to Vietnam War Veterans with PTSD
CAMERON
J Interpers Violence 1994;9:117-132.
ABSTRACT  

WAR IS HAZARDOUS TO MENTAL HEALTH: A STUDY OF TWINS
JWatch General 1990;1990:6-6.
FULL TEXT