Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Prisoners of War and Combat Veterans of the Dieppe Raid: A 50-Year Follow-Up

Abstract

Objective This paper presents the first 50-year study of the differential effects of incarceration and combat on the development and persistence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Canadian veterans and prisoners of war (POWs) from the Dieppe Raid. Method A large sample of Dieppe. POWs and nonPOWs completed a questionnaire diagnosing PTSD and other psychological and health problems of the veterans in 1946 and in 1992. Results The POWs showed a higher incidence of PTSD and other psychological symptoms than veterans with the same combat exposure. The POWs' experiences of malnutrition, maltreatment and torture, and mental suffering showed strong links to PTSD. Conclusions For many veterans, PTSD has lasted 50 years. Failure to be eligible for psychological disability pensions demonstrates that PTSD and other psychological disorders in these veterans have been greatly unrecognized by the Canadian Department of Veteran's Affairs.