Locus of control and combat‐related post‐traumatic stress disorder: The intervening role of battle intensity, threat appraisal and coping

Abstract

The study examined the role of control expectancies in the formation of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Israeli soldiers combat stress reactions (battle shock) casualties of the Lebanon War (1982). A random sample of 104 soldiers who fought in the Lebanon War and were identified as combat stress reaction casualties were clinically interviewed and given a battery of self-report questionnaires a year after their participation in combat. In general, the components of Lazarus' stress-illness model were predictive of the severity of PTSD. Greater appraisal of threat, more negative emotions, and more emotion-focused coping were all found to predict a larger number of PTSD symptoms. Path analyses were performed separately for soldiers who reported that they were under high battle intensity and those who were under relatively low battle intensity. For low battle intensity, externals suffered more PTSD than internals. This relationship was due mainly to the indirect effects of locus of control via threat appraisal. These significant relationships were not found when battle intensity was high. The implications of the findings for the study of combat stress reactions and for the stress-illness model are discussed. The relative impact of generalized control expectancies and situational factors are examined for the various components of the model.