Mastery, Intimacy, and Stress Resistance during War

The relationship between war‐related stressors and emotional and behavioral adjustment during the Israel‐Lebanon war was studied on a sample of 220 Israeli students, many of whom had been in combat. Mastery had direct effects on the well‐being of both sexes. There was limited support for the stress‐buffering effect of intimacy for men, such that those who had less intimate ties were increasingly negatively affected by greater exposure to war‐related stressors, whereas those with more intimate relationships were relatively unaffected; the buffering effect applied both to emotions and behavior. No stress‐buffering effect of intimate ties was found for women, but women were not affected by war‐related stress at this time. The diagnosis post‐traumatic stress disorder is examined in terms of the fact that normally healthy populations may be at increased risk of long‐term adjustment difficulties following exposure to extreme stress if the threat of recurrence of the stressor continues. Implications for Vietnam veterans are also discussed.