Studies on PTSD?
From: Peter Kiang <Peter.Kiang@umb.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2020 5:38 PM
To: George Black <ghsblack@gmail.com>
Cc: Marc Gilbert <mgilbert@hpu.edu>; Judith A N Henchy <judithh@uw.edu>
Subject: FW: [Vsg] Studies on PTSD?
george, you should probably also look at the phenomenon of race-related PTSD and the contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander US Vietnam veterans to this literature, particularly with regard to your question about PTSD experienced by those who served but may have not experienced combat.
attached is the 2001 framing study for the Asian American Vietnam Veterans Race-Related Stressor Scale Study (AVRS) led by Chalsa Loo and colleagues. the second attachment is a chapter which offers some of the narrative insights from the study. i co-led the qualitative dimensions of the AVRS, together with chalsa loo. the third attachment also is based on the qualitatative data from the AVRS, with a particular focus on food in conjunction with race-related stress and ptsd that you or others in VSG might find interesting.
the AVRS proved to be important on a variety of levels, including for individual asian americans and pacific islanders who did not have combat assignments listed in their DD214s, and were, therefore, bureaucratically rejected for PTSD benefits claims. the AVRS findings showed in numerous cases that individual veterans had clinical symptoms of PTSD and that their non-combat experiences of trauma were associated with race-related dynamics within US military contexts. in some cases, the PTSD disability ratings were revised upon appeal by individual asian american or pacific islander veterans.
i don’t know the deeper intention of your query, but the AVRS work is probably not on your radar and may not be well-known to others in VSG either. the attachments make the message too big for posting directtly via VSG, though, so i’m just sending to you with cc to marc and to judith for reference.
take care and stay safe. pk
Dr. Peter Nien-chu Kiang (江念祖)
Professor and Director, Asian American Studies Program
School for Global Inclusion & Social Development (SGISD)
College of Education & Human Development
UMass Boston, Wheatley Building, 2nd floor, Room 097
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
617-287-4775
http://www.facebook.com/UMB.AsAmSt
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Peter_Kiang/
http://works.bepress.com/peter_kiang/
http://www.alumni.umb.edu/AsAmSt30
From: Vsg <vsg-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf of "Marc J. Gilbert" <mgilbert@hpu.edu>
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 7:25 PM
To: George Black <ghsblack@gmail.com>, Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: [Vsg] Studies on PTSD?
Responding to George Black with a brief reference to Vietnamese film
Marc Jason Gilbert, Hawaii Pacific University, mgilbert@hpu.edu
George, I have many resources for you (twin-studies, etc.) and will call you. You might see the PTSD resources in my chapter, “Lost Warriors: The Plight of Homeless Vietnam Veterans." Robert Slabey, ed. Viet Nam: From War to Peace. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Press, 1996: 91-112. PTSD- related alcoholism among combat veterans (a single cohort, but hardly the only one!) was the single greatest cause of veteran homelessness, according to the US Labor Department officials I interviewed. The chapter became the source of film I wrote and co-produced called Lost Warriors--based also on 300 hours of street/shelter interviews, which was shown on PBS back in the day. More when we talk. The cameraman is a close friend, Lon Holmberg, an Army combat photographer, later pulled out of the line to be General Abrams personal staff photographer. We took the film to Vietnam--which post-war had numerous official bodies for assisting veterans-- male and female--but the resolution of the film was held not suitable for showing on Vietnamese television.
I wish to thank to Peter Zinoman and friends of Lady Borton, through whom in the mid-1990s, I was able to briefly meet many Vietnamese film students and view their work, which I kept in my mind's eye as we worked on the film. If anyone can recommend Vietnamese filmmakers who have since been able to address veterans' issues I would be happy to know of them and learn from them. I still use Dang Nhat Minh's "Bao gio cho den thang Muo" (When the Tenth Month Comes, 1984, now on Blue Ray) to illustrate many issues, from the political use of vs lived memory of traditional life, to post-war bureaucracy, and to survivor guilt as universal experiences of war. It has an acknowledged place in the filmography of post-war revisionism, but to me, it is more than that. If it is not the Vietnamese "The Best Years of Our Lives," I would be eager to know of any rivals.
Best,
Marc
From: Vsg <vsg-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu> on behalf of George Black <ghsblack@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 26, 2020 3:56 AM
Wondering if anyone might be aware of any studies that break down the incidence of PTSD by branch of service or place of service. I'm especially interested in any possible differences between Marines and Army, as well the incidence in I Corps relative to the other three tactical zones. Also whether there was any significant level of PTSD among those who served in Vietnam but did not see combat.
I've reached out to VVA to see what statistics they may have, but perhaps someone on this list is familiar with more academic literature on the topic.
Thanks,
George
646-361-3931
@georgehsblack