Combat Stress Reaction : The Enduring Toll of War

In this highly readable text, the author details the findings of an exhaustive series of studies of Isreali combat veterans, documenting the effects of combat stress reaction on mental and physical health, social interaction, and military effectiveness. In addition to providing mental health professionals, trauma victims, and military personnel with an unparalleled source of information, the work's exploration of the cultural, social, and political processes affecting recovery from combat stress reaction offers a unique perspective of contemporary Isreali culture.

Combat Stress Reaction is a groundbreaking exploration of the effects of war and psychic trauma on combat veterans that documents the impact of combat stress reaction (CSR) on mental and physical health and family, work, social, and military functioning. Author Zahava Solomon addresses the many perplexing issues related to CSR through her analysis of the findings of an exhaustive ten-year series of studies on Israeli veterans of the 1982 Lebanon war. The entire population of veterans experiencing combat stress reaction was followed from the time of the conflict until the present, offering a unique perspective on psychological processes following exposure to traumatic stress. Solomon integrates empirical findings with case histories, excerpts from extensive clinical interviews, and clinical theory to provide fresh insights into the many unanswered questions facing traumatic stress researchers, including: What is the scope, nature, and duration of CSR? What happens to CSR casualties after the fighting ends? Does war leave stress residues among cornhatants who do not sustain CSR? Which soldiers are predisposed to CSR? Does the exposure to more than one war decrease or increase a soldier's chances of sustaining CSR? What factors aid or inhibit recovery from CSR? How is the course of the disorder affected by continuing exposure to military stimuli?
Solomon's illuminating discussion of the repercussions of combat stress reaction provides mental health professionals and military personnel with an unparalleled source of knowledge on this widespread yet poorly understood disorder. In addition, the text's exploration of the cultural, social, and political processes that play a role in recovery from CSR offers a fascinating look at contemporary Israeli society, spanning such factors as family, work, the impact of the Holocaust, cultural norms, the role of the media, and the political debate over the Lebanon war.