The Psychological Risks of Vietnam for U.S. Veterans: A Revisit with New Data and Methods

TLDR

The 1988 National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study estimated that 30.9 % of veterans had lifetime PTSD and 15.2 % were currently affected, though critics have questioned the findings for potential recall bias. We used military records to construct a new exposure measure and cross‑check exposure reports in diagnoses of 260 NVVRS veterans. The revised analysis confirmed a dose‑response link between combat exposure and PTSD, with adjusted lifetime rates of 18.7 % and current rates of 9.1 % 11–12 years post‑war, and found that current PTSD was linked to moderate functional impairment.

Abstract

In 1988, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) of a representative sample of 1200 veterans estimated that 30.9% had developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during their lifetimes and that 15.2% were currently suffering from PTSD. The study also found a strong dose-response relationship: As retrospective reports of combat exposure increased, PTSD occurrence increased. Skeptics have argued that these results are inflated by recall bias and other flaws. We used military records to construct a new exposure measure and to cross-check exposure reports in diagnoses of 260 NVVRS veterans. We found little evidence of falsification, an even stronger dose-response relationship, and psychological costs that were lower than previously estimated but still substantial. According to our fully adjusted PTSD rates, 18.7% of the veterans had developed war-related PTSD during their lifetimes and 9.1% were currently suffering from PTSD 11 to 12 years after the war; current PTSD was typically associated with moderate impairment.