Child physical abuse and subjective arousal to traumatic cues in Vietnam veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder

The study was a preliminary investigation into the relationship between history of child abuse and subjective arousal in Vietnam veterans with combat-related PTSD. It was hypothesized that Vietnam veterans with combat-related PTSD and a history of child abuse would report more subjective arousal upon reminders of combat than those without a history of child abuse. While veterans, regardless of abuse classification, displayed more subjective arousal upon reminders of their combat experiences than when relaxed, no significant findings were obtained regarding differences for a history of child physical abuse. An exploratory investigation revealed that veterans were reporting different histories of child abuse according to the method of assessment. Future studies should consider this discrepancy when assessing for histories of child abuse.