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- Title
Combat Stress Reaction and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as Determinants of Perceived Self-Efficacy in Battle.
- Authors
Solomon, Zahava; Weisenberg, Matisyohu; Schwarzwald, Joseph; Mikulincer, Mario
- Abstract
This study assessed the extent to which perceived self-efficacy (PSE) to function in battle was related to combat stress reaction (CSR) and to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Frontline soldiers who were treated for CSR during the 1982 war in Lebanon (F-group) were compared with a matched control group of soldiers who participated in the same battles but did not reveal overt signs of CSR (C-1), and to a second control group of soldiers who were combat-alerted but did not actively participate in battle (C-2). All subjects responded to a series of questionnaires assessing PSE, PTSD, and the Impact of Event Scale (IES) one year following the war. Results indicated a lower level of combat PSE for the F-group compared to the C-1 and C-2 groups. Analysis of PSE by current PTSD status produced an interaction between PTSD and study group. Only soldiers in the F-group diagnosed as PTSD reported a low level of PSE. The remaining soldiers did not differ regardless of PTSD status. A similar interaction was obtained for IES scores. In other words, only the combination of CSR and higher IES scores led to a lower level of PSE. Soldiers who possessed greater personal resources (educational and economic status) reported higher PSE scores than their lower status counterparts. Soldiers treated for CSR and immediately returned to their combat units indicated a higher level of PSE than those treated in the front and evacuated to the rear. The theoretical and practical implications of PSE following participation in battle are discussed.
- Publication
Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, 1988, Vol 6, Issue 3/4, p356
- ISSN
0736-7236
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1521/jscp.1988.6.3-4.356