A study on PTSD with Danish troops

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Danish troops in Afghanistan.

Professor Dorthe Berntsen of the Center on Autobiographical Memory Research, Department of Psychology, Aarhus University, and military psychologists at the Danish Centre for Defence Veterans as well as researchers from Duke University in North Carolina have conducted an interesting study on PTSD in Danish troops.

"Typically, it is not the experience of war that triggers the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD)," explains Dorthe Berntsen.

"In the case of soldiers in Afghanistan, we might well expect that it was their experiences of war there that triggered PSTD. However, the situation is not so simple. We need to look at the soldiers' experiences in a lifetime perspective. The study has provided new information, because the survey includes data on the soldiers' state of health before their departure, during their tour of duty and several times after their return. It shows that many of the soldiers had already experienced trauma before they went to Afghanistan, and that this has affected the way they reacted during their posting.

"It has long been generally thought that PTSD occurs after violent experiences. Our survey thus provides new knowledge," says Dorthe Berntsen.

"War in itself is not the crucial factor in making soldiers ill. It can be a contributing factor, but it is not the decisive factor."

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A casevac evacuates Danish soldiers.

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