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

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