TY - JOUR
T1 - Vulnerability Reawakened
T2 - Increased Substance Use Among Aging Traumatized Veterans During COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Solomon, Zahava
AU - Ginzburg, Karni
AU - Ohry, Avi
AU - Mikulincer, Mario
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Psychological Association
PY - 2022/8/4
Y1 - 2022/8/4
N2 - Objective: This study prospectively assesses the implication of (a) exposure to distant trauma of war captivity, (b) stressful life events across the life span, and (c) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trajectories and current PTSD, on substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: One hundred and twenty Israeli ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs) and 65 matched veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War filled out self-report questionnaires in 4 waves of assessment (T1-18, T2-30, T3-35, and T4-42 years after the war). A fifth wave of assessment (T5) was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 47 years after the war. Results: Whereas in the earlier assessments (T1-T4) war captivity was not related to substance use, during the COVID-19 pandemic (T5) ex-POWs reported higher increase of use of alcohol, tranquilizers, cannabis, and sleep medications than comparable veterans. War-induced PTSD trajectories that were prospectively measured between T1-T4, and concurrent PTSD during the pandemic (T5) were related to increase in substance use during the pandemic (T5).
AB - Objective: This study prospectively assesses the implication of (a) exposure to distant trauma of war captivity, (b) stressful life events across the life span, and (c) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) trajectories and current PTSD, on substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: One hundred and twenty Israeli ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs) and 65 matched veterans of the 1973 Yom Kippur War filled out self-report questionnaires in 4 waves of assessment (T1-18, T2-30, T3-35, and T4-42 years after the war). A fifth wave of assessment (T5) was conducted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, 47 years after the war. Results: Whereas in the earlier assessments (T1-T4) war captivity was not related to substance use, during the COVID-19 pandemic (T5) ex-POWs reported higher increase of use of alcohol, tranquilizers, cannabis, and sleep medications than comparable veterans. War-induced PTSD trajectories that were prospectively measured between T1-T4, and concurrent PTSD during the pandemic (T5) were related to increase in substance use during the pandemic (T5).
KW - COVID-19
KW - posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
KW - prisoners of war (POWs)
KW - substance use
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85135831986&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/tra0001267
DO - 10.1037/tra0001267
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C2 - 35925700
AN - SCOPUS:85135831986
SN - 1942-9681
VL - 15
SP - 377
EP - 385
JO - Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
JF - Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
IS - 3
ER -