Life-threatening experiences, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adaptation in Lithuanian men 17 years after military service in Afghanistan and the USSR

Abstract

A sample of 268 Lithuanian men who served in the Soviet Army in 1979–1989 was investigated on the average 17 years after the service; the questionnaire was completed focusing on life-threatening expe- rience, posttraumatic stress reactions, and adaptation variables. The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder was 30% in the group of the men who served in Afghanistan and 2% in the group of the men who served in various places of the USSR. Lithuanian Afghanistan war veterans experienced significantly more service-related and non-service-related traumatic events and conditions, and their adaptation after the service and nowadays were poorer than in the men who served in the USSR. Life-threatening expe- rience, PTSD and adaptation were correlated in both groups.