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Assessment of long-term psychosocial sequelae among POW survivors of the Korean Conflict.
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1990
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Psychological Co-morbiditiesMilitary ContextPow ReleaseMental HealthKorean ConflictPsychologySocial SciencesPsychiatric AssessmentsComorbid Psychiatric DisorderCoping BehaviorPow SurvivorsPsychiatryWeight LossesDepressionPsychiatric DisorderPsychosocial ResearchPsychosocial IssueLong-term Psychosocial SequelaeMedicinePsychopathologyPost-traumatic Stress Disorder
Psychological and psychiatric assessments were performed among 20 prisoner-of-war (POW) Korean-Conflict survivors. Results revealed extraordinary biological and psychological abuse with weight losses exceeding 35% of preservice weights and long-term cognitive, emotional, and behavioral sequelae. The full range of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms was seen in 90% to 100% of the cases with high prevalence of co-morbidity, specifically mood (75%), other anxiety (45%), and alcohol abuse (20%) disorders. Documented by clinical investigators at POW release and now more than 30 years later, symptoms of apprehensiveness, confusion, detachment, and depression reflect the persistence of psychiatric morbidity over time.