Perception of post traumatic stress disorder symptoms by children of Puerto Rican Vietnam veterans

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this exploratory-descriptive study was to determine the extent children observed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in their fathers and whether they exhibited similar symptoms. The sample consisted of 60 Puerto Rican children of Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD. A self-administered PTSD Symptoms Measure was developed to determine the extent of parental and children behavioral indicators of PTSD. Findings indicate that the majority of the children in this study reported perceiving the PTSD symptoms of their fathers and they also reported exhibiting the symptoms themselves. Children who identified more PTSD symptoms in their fathers tended to report greater PTSD symptoms in themselves