Traumatic Stress in Female Veterans
A National Center for PTSD Fact Sheet
by Lynda A. King, Ph.D., Women's Health Sciences Division, Boston
and Daniel W. King, Ph.D., Behavioral Science Division, Boston
Findings from a National Study of Female Vietnam War Veterans
During and after the Vietnam War, mental-health professionals and behavioral
scientists began to notice adjustment problems in some veterans returning from
Southeast Asia. At first, these problems were characterized as a
"post-Vietnam syndrome." In 1980, this condition was officially
recognized by the American Psychiatric Association as Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, or PTSD.
The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study
The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS) is the only national
study of Vietnam veterans that included women. Of the 1,632 Vietnam veterans in
the study, 432 were women veterans who had served in or around Vietnam sometime
between 1964 and 1975. Most of these women were registered nurses, and 90% had
been commissioned officers. Over half had served more than 4 years in the
military, and about one-fifth had served 20 years or more. At the time of the
National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study, about 45% of these women were
married; less than half had children.
Results
The National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study found that approximately
27% of women Vietnam veterans suffered from PTSD sometime during their postwar
lives. Over the last few years, researchers at the National Center for PTSD
have been looking further into the information collected in the NVVRS. One part
of our research work has been to determine how factors other than war-zone
experiences might be related to the severity of PTSD.
We have found that high levels of social support after the war played an
important role for women. Those women who reported that they had friends and
family available to them were less likely to have symptoms of PTSD. In
particular, emotional support-having someone to talk to and someone who really
cares-helped women to adjust more comfortably to postwar life. It was also
important for the returning women veterans to feel that they could rely on
others to assist them with tasks in times of need. Veterans who had this form
of support also suffered less from PTSD
Data collection complete for Women with PTSD study
Data collection for Veterans Affairs study on treatment of Women with PTSD is now complete. The NCPTSD
will post updates on this study as results become available. Thank you for your interest.
Related Fact Sheets
Epidemiology
Information about rates of PTSD in the United States among different populations
Female
sexual assault
Defines sexual assault among females and gives an overview of its immediate
and long-term effects
Homecoming reactions
Homecoming after deployment: Dealing with changes and expectations
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