Survivors of a Kamikaze Attack: PTSD and Perceived Adjustment to Civilian Life

Kamikaze Attack Survivors: How Accurate are Their PTSD Reports?

12 survivors of the USS Emmons ( M age = 81.3 yr., SD = 3.26), which was sunk by kamikaze attacks during World War II, were given an adapted form of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian. Five of their wives ( M age = 78.8 yr., SD = 3.42) and 16 of their children ( M age = 50.2 yr., SD = 5.37) estimated the veterans' checklist scores. The combined wives' and children's mean score estimate was nearly identical to the veterans' mean checklist score. Analysis using the Wilcoxon signed rank test comparing the veterans' self-reports and their family members' estimated reports of them was statistically insignificant. The findings suggest that Emmons survivors' PTSD reports are reliable.