Quality of life in elderly Portuguese war veterans with post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Background: Studies show that post-traumatic stress symptoms among Portuguese veterans who participated in Colonial War (1961-75) are high, even though 43 years have gone by since the end of the war.

Aims: This study analyzed the role of family type, personality traits, and social support as predictors of post-traumatic stress symptoms and quality of life in war veterans, and whether satisfaction with social support was a mediator between neuroticism/post-traumatic stress symptoms and quality of life.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 230 war veterans with a mean age of 60 years (SD=3.82).

Results: Results indicated a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms as well as high neuroticism, 16.5 (SD=4.41); 81% of veterans presented high psychological distress, suggesting emotional disturbance and 71% belonged to extreme families (families with cohesion and adaptability problems). Results showed that age (β=-0.166, <0.05), social support (β=-0.184, <0.01), and neuroticism (β=0.325, <0.001) predicted post-traumatic stress symptoms. Age, professional status, social support, post-traumatic stress symptoms, family type, neuroticism, and extroversion predicted different dimensions of quality of life. Finally, a path analysis showed that satisfaction with social support was a mediator in the relationship between neuroticism and quality of life (β=-0.066; <0.01) and between post-traumatic stress symptoms and quality of life (β=-0.108; <0.01).

Conclusion: Four decades after the Colonial War have passed, there is still a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Screening elderly veterans who present post-traumatic stress symptoms, for the presence of neuroticism traits, and assessing family type and social support, should be a standard practice in health care services, especially in the oldest and those who are retired. Social support should be promoted in order to enhance quality of life in this population.