Retraumatization of Israeli civilians during a reactivation of the Gulf War threat

Abstract

Investigated the development of traumatic-spectrum symptoms among individuals re-exposed to traumatic events. 27 individuals (mean age 45.3 yrs) residing in Tel-Aviv who had been previously exposed to missile attacks during the Gulf War in 1991 were assessed during the 1st wk of a 1998 threat of missile attacks and 3 mo later using: (1) the Structural Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-III-Revised (DSM-III-R)—Nonpatient Version (R. L. Spitzer et al, 1989), the Impact of Event Scale (M. J. Horowitz et al, 1979), and the state subscale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (C. D. Spielberger, 1983). Results show that, at the acute stage, Ss attained significantly higher scores concerning intrusion, avoidance, state anxiety, and state anger than did controls having no previous traumatic exposure to missile attacks. At 3-mo follow-up, previously traumatized Ss and controls were similar regarding the symptom domains of intrusion, avoidance, and state anxiety. However, previously traumatized Ss reported marginally higher symptoms of state anger. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)