The Aftermath of Combat-Related PTSD Toward an Understanding of Transgenerational Trauma

The number of military personnel who are involved in combat situations continues to increase. As a result, researchers have identified risk factors associated with the development of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors of this article review some of the characteristics of military personnel involved in these conflicts, factors unique to the current mil-itary actions, and symptom presentation and prevalence rates of PTSD among those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. They dis-cuss mechanisms for the transgenerational transmission of trauma symptoms and identify strategies for interventions