The Trauma of War: Stress and Recovery of Vietnam Veterans is a unique psychiatric source book. This volume provides a scientific account of the psychological ravages of the war in Vietnam on the men and women who served there, but throughout the book reverberates the troubled voices of these veterans-and the sensitive voices of the mental health professionals who have been directly affected by their work with these veterans. The chief emphasis on The Trauma of War: Stress and Recovery of Vietnam Veterans involves careful evaluation of troubled veterans and sensitive but effective modes of treatment. The special readjustment needs of black, Hispanic, and women veterans are also addressed. Finally, application of this clinical material to the area of posttraumatic stress disorder research reflect the significant advances that have been made in the field since posttraumatic stress disorder was first recognized as a diagnostic entity. These advancements in research constitute a fitting legacy to the thousands of Vietnam veterans who have continued to suffer from the trauma of war.

Americans have long been asked to support the troops and care for veterans’ psychological wounds. Who, though, does this injunction serve? As acclaimed scholar Nadia Abu El-Haj argues here, in the American public’s imagination, the traumatized soldier stands in for destructive wars abroad, with decisive ramifications in the post-9/11 era. Across the political spectrum the language of soldier trauma is used to discuss American warfare, producing a narrative in which traumatized soldiers are the only acknowledged casualties of war, while those killed by American firepower are largely sidelined and forgotten. In this wide-ranging and fascinating study of the meshing of medicine, science, and politics, Abu El-Haj explores the concept of post-traumatic stress disorder and the history of its medical diagnosis. While antiwar Vietnam War veterans sought to address their psychological pain even as they maintained full awareness of their guilt and responsibility for perpetrating atrocities on the killing fields of Vietnam, by the 1980s, a peculiar convergence of feminist activism against sexual violence and Reagan’s right-wing “war on crime” transformed the idea of PTSD into a condition of victimhood. In so doing, the meaning of Vietnam veterans’ trauma would also shift, moving away from a political space of reckoning with guilt and complicity to one that cast them as blameless victims of a hostile public upon their return home. This is how, in the post-9/11 era of the Wars on Terror, the injunction to “support our troops,” came to both sustain US militarism and also shields American civilians from the reality of wars fought ostensibly in their name. In this compelling and crucial account, Nadia Abu El-Haj challenges us to think anew about the devastations of the post-9/11 era.

"As foreign assistance flows into post-conflict regions to rebuild economies, roads, and schools, it is important that development professionals retain a focus on the purely human element of rebuilding lives and societies. This book provides perspective on just how to begin that process so that the trauma people suffered is not passed on to future generations long after the violence has stopped." - Amy T. Wilson, Ph.D., Gallaudet University, Washington, DC "This ground-breaking text provides the reader with an excellent and comprehensive overview of the existing field of trauma rehabilitation. It also masterfully navigates the intricate relationships among theory, research, and practice leaving the reader with immense appreciation for its subject matter." - Hanoch Livneh, Hanoch Livneh, Ph.D., LPC, CRC, Portland State University Fear, terror, helplessness, rage: for soldier and civilian alike, the psychological costs of war are staggering. And for those traumatized by chronic armed conflict, healing, recovery, and closure can seem like impossible goals. Demonstrating wide-ranging knowledge of the vulnerabilities and resilience of war survivors, the collaborators on Trauma Rehabilitation after War and Conflict analyze successful rehabilitative processes and intervention programs in conflict-affected areas of the world. Its dual focus on individual and community healing builds on the concept of the protective "trauma membrane," a component crucial to coping and healing, to humanitarian efforts (though one which is often passed over in favor of rebuilding infrastructure), and to promoting and sustaining peace. The book’s multiple perspectives—including public health, community-based systems, and trauma-focused approaches—reflect the complex psychological, social, and emotional stresses faced by survivors, to provide authoritative information on salient topics such as: Psychological rehabilitation of U.S. veterans, non-Western ex-combatants, and civilians Forgiveness and social reconciliation after armed conflict Psychosocial adjustment in the post-war setting Helping individuals heal from war-related rape The psychological impact on prisoners of war Rehabilitating the child soldier Rehabilitation after War and Conflict lucidly sets out the terms for the next stage of humanitarian work, making it essential reading for researchers and professionals in psychology, social work, rehabilitation, counseling, and public health.

War trauma has long been associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a term coined in 1980 to explain the post-war impact of Vietnam veterans. The Gulf and Balkan wars added new dimensions to the traditional PTSD definition, due largely to the changing dynamics of these wars. With these wars came unprecedented use of reserve and National Guard personnel in U.S. forces along with the largest contingent of female military personnel to date. Rapid deployment, sexual assaults, and suicides surfaced as paramount untreated problems within coalition force. Rapes, torture, suicides, and a high prevalence of untreated civilian victims of the Balkan wars added to the new dimensions of the traumatic stress continuum. Suicide bombers and roadside bombings added to the definition of combat stress, as military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan were forced to be constantly vigilant for these attacks—regardless of whether they served in combat areas.

With traumatic stress an increasing global challenge, the U.N., the NGO community and governments must take into account the psychological aftermath of large-scale catastrophes and individual or group violence. This volume addresses this global perspective, and provides a conceptual framework for interventions in the wake of abuse, torture, war, and disaster on individual, local, regional, and international levels. To be useful to both practitioners and policymakers, the book identifies model programs that can be implemented at every level.

War Trauma and Its Wake a vital book for anyone interested in understanding the military experience, and the lessons contained in its pages are crucial for any clinician committed to healing war trauma.

Master's Thesis from the year 2017 in the subject Health - Public Health, grade: 5.0, University of Debrecen (FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH - DEPT. OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE), course: PUBLIC HEALTH, language: English, abstract: From the South Sudan conflict to the war in Syria and the violent conflict in Myanmar, it is an inevitable reality that people will continue to experience war trauma, which will - in some cases - escalate to post-traumatic stress disorder and other major psychological disorders. This thesis sets out to examine war trauma, based on its psychological effects, treatment and management. It elaborates on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the risk and protective factors therein. Moreover, it derives information from various academic sources that will help expound on war trauma. It also intends to use the trauma therapy sessions which were conducted by the author, on South Sudanese refugees and nationals in South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda as practical experiences in evaluating this thesis with the expectation that it will serve as a contribution to academics and also provide the much needed information on war trauma to governments, military defense departments, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors and all relevant stakeholders in this field. With the escalation of wars and conflict, around the world, there has been an upsurge of refugees and immigrants in and outside Europe. This has sparked various debates, thereby creating an interest on the effects war has on military personnel, workers and civilians, in conflict areas. Having interacted with some of these groups at a personal and professional level, the author brings on board some of these unique experiences.