Autor(es): Maia, Ângela ; Morgado, Diogo
Data: 2020
Identificador Persistente: https://hdl.handle.net/1822/69909
Origem: RepositóriUM - Universidade do Minho
Assunto(s): Physical health; Portuguese Colonial War; Systematic review; Veterans; Guerra Colonial Portuguesa; ex-combatentes; saúde física; revisão sistemática
After 45 years, little is known about Portuguese Colonial War veterans' physical health. This systematic review aimed to fill this gap. Following PRISMA guidelines, searches were conducted, on November 2018, in seven electronic databases for the inclusion of Portuguese or English quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-method published studies, unpublished master's or doctoral theses and research reports that focused on physical health. Seventy-one studies were identified; 10 were considered eligible. Veterans reported several physical complaints and chronic diseases, as well as risk behaviors and health services use for the relief of psychological symptoms. Differences were found between veterans and nonveterans, and veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Combat exposure and PTSD were associated with physical morbidity, in which PTSD was a full mediator. Implications for practice and recommendation for future research are discussed.
