The Viet Nam Era prisoner of war: precaptivity personality and the development of psychiatric illness

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Abstract
The role of the preexisting personality structure in the development of psychiatric illness after prisoner of war (POW) experience was examined using case studies of 6 repatriated Vietnam POW who were coincidentally evaluated before their captivity. The presence of psychiatric illness or predisposition to psychiatric illness is neither necessary nor sufficient for the development of psychiatric illness after repatriation. Personality changes reflect both adaptation to the captivity environment and the impact of the ego-idel over that of the punitive elements of the superego. The persepctive of personality change rather than psychopathology is more explanatory of the findings.

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