Social support and psychopathology in the war zone

Unit cohesion and homecoming support are examined for their protective effects on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychopathology. Data on 1198 male theater veterans were taken from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. Unit cohesion had no significant relationship, as a direct effect, to either PTSD or other psychopathology. In a pattern that was opposite to predictions from the buffering hypothesis of support, however, a high level of unit cohesion in combination with high war zone stress was associated with the highest levels of PTSD and psychopathology. This is consistent with Israeli experiences, suggesting that unit cohesion may have detrimental long-term effects on psychological well-being. In contrast, homecoming support was related negatively as a direct effect to both PTSD and other psychopathology. In addition, interaction results, consistent with the buffering hypothesis, suggest that the protective effects of homecoming support are magnified for veterans with high compared with low levels of exposure.