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.

Ch. 1. In the Shadow of War -- The Sinai Campaign -- The Six-Day War -- The Yom Kippur War -- Ch. 2. Sisters in Sorrow -- Establishing the Psychiatric War Casualty Database -- Conditions That Enabled the Longitudinal Study -- Planning the Study -- Subjects -- Measures -- Procedure -- Interviews -- Three Waves of Measurements -- Subjects' Reactions -- Overview of Themes -- Ch. 3. Psychological Breakdown on the Battlefield -- Historical Perspectives of CSR -- CSR in the Lebanon War -- A Taxonomy of CSR -- Ch. 4. Naked on Dizengoff -- The Protective Illusion of Safety -- CSR: Shattering the Illusion of Safety -- CSR: Gradual Awareness of Vulnerability -- Ch. 5. Does the War End When the Shooting Stops? -- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder -- PTSD Rates -- The Duration of PTSD -- Number of PTSD Symptoms -- The Symptoms Profile -- Endorsement of PTSD Symptoms -- Stress Residues: Intrusion and Avoidance -- Psychiatric Symptomatology -- Ch. 6. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Inner Landscape -- Intrusion -- Psychic Numbing, Avoidance, and Withdrawal -- Guilt -- Guilt about Wartime Conduct -- Survivor Guilt -- Anger and Hostility -- Depression -- Ch. 7. From Front Line to Home Front -- In the Family -- Social Functioning -- At Work -- Ch. 8. If at First You Don't Succeed: Military Functioning after CSR -- Perceived Self-Efficacy in Combat -- Reserve Duty -- Ch. 9. Body and Soul -- Combat Stress and Somatic Illness among Israeli Soldiers -- Conversion Reactions -- Health-Related Habits: Cigarette, Alcohol, and Drug Consumption -- Assessing Somatic Problems: Self-Report and Medical Examination -- Ch. 10. The Imprint of Trauma -- The Imprint of Vulnerability -- The Shame of It All -- The Sabra Ethos -- Unmanned in the Military -- The Salience of War in Israel -- Ch. 11. Yet Once More: The Effect of Repeated Wars -- The Impact of Prior War Experience with and without CSR -- Number of Prior Wars -- Battle Intensity in Lebanon, Former War Experience, and CSR -- Can a "Successful" War Repair the Damage of CSR? -- Prior Vulnerability -- Ch. 12. Reactivation: Trauma Deepens Trauma -- Course and Precipitating Factors -- Uncomplicated Reactivation -- Specific Sensitivity -- Moderate Generalized Sensitivity -- Severe Generalized Sensitivity -- The Clinical Picture of Reactivation -- Ch. 13. Is Delayed PTSD Real? -- Exacerbation of Subclinical PTSD -- Delayed Help Seeking for Chronic PTSD -- Reactivation -- Other Psychiatric Disorders -- Delayed-Onset PTSD -- Ch. 14. Fathers and Sons: The Transgenerational Impact of the Holocaust -- The Long Shadow of the Holocaust -- The Second Generation -- PTSD among Second-Generation Holocaust Survivors -- Secondary Traumatization -- Ch. 15. Why Don't They Seek Treatment? -- The Process of Help Seeking -- Who Seeks Helps -- Clinical Implications -- Ch. 16. The Silver Platter -- Appendix A. Sociodemographic Characteristics of the Sample -- Appendix B. PTSD Inventory -- Appendix C. Number of PTSD Symptoms -- Appendix D. Analyses of SFP Scales Data.