Vietnam Veterans: Waking and Nonwaking Cognitive Responses to Life-Threatening Stressors (Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Intrusive Thoughts).

Abstract

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of waking and nonwaking cognitive responses to life-threatening stressors. It was hypothesized that people who experience life-threatening stressors tend to cognitively respond in their nonwaking lives with nightmares rather than in their waking lives with intrusive thoughts. Data were collected from 486 men who were either Vietnam veterans, Vietnam Era veterans or nonveterans. The response variables in this study included the occurrence, frequency, and content of intrusive thoughts and nightmares. The life-threatening stressors were: (a) exposure to violence in adolescence, (b) experiencing an illness or injury in childhood or adolescence, (c) parental loss, (d) veteran status and combat exposure in Vietnam, (e) recent crime victimization, and (f) recent illness or injury. The most striking finding in this study was the longst and ing effect of past military experience in Vietnam on the occurrence, frequency, and content of nightmares. Not only did Vietnam veterans report more frequent nightmares than did Vietnam Era veterans and nonveterans, they also had nightmares that focused more on violent themes than the other two groups. Combat exposure had very little effect on intrusive thoughts. There was no consistent pattern that characterized the relationship of the other life-threatening stressors to nightmares. Exposure to violence in adolescence exerted an important effect on the frequency of intrusive thoughts. The findings suggest that exposure to violence may be related to a pattern of social and personal disorganization that has existed over the lifespan.