Combat stress reactions in Iraqi enemy prisoners of war

Combat stress reactions (CSR) are a source of significant morbidity on the battlefield, and they initiate the cascade of psychophysiological dysfunction that results in the posttraumatic stress disorders. During Operation Desert Storm in early 1991, very few allied CSR casualties were observed. However, Iraqi soldiers experienced intense conditions likely to result in CSR. Using semistructured interviews, the authors examined Iraqi enemy prisoners of war for the presence of CSR and compared their responses to two groups of U.S. soldiers. Iraqi prisoners of war experienced many CSR symptoms that reduced their functional capacity during combat, but they had few residual symptoms.