Dimensions of posttraumatic stress disorder among Vietnam veterans.

DSM-III criteria and clinical models of stress are used to identify discrete dimensions of posttraumatic stress disorder. The authors test the hypothesis that war trauma differentially affects four dimensions of posttraumatic stress--intrusive imagery, hyperarousal, numbing, and cognitive disruption--by studying data from 251 Vietnam veterans probability sampled in seven sites. The hypothesis was confirmed. Different dimensions of stress symptomatology are found to vary across individuals exposed to different types of war trauma. Stress responses to war trauma also differ by race of the veteran. The relationship between stressors and symptomatology change over time, indicating specific experiences are related to particular long-term patterns of posttraumatic stress disorder.