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Military homecoming is commonly viewed as a distressing experience. However, the novel Schije (Shrapnel, in English) tells a Romanian paratrooper's (Toma) positive story of returning home from the war in Afghanistan (2001-2021). By exploring spaces, emotions, and relationships that help Toma to recover, this article makes a two-fold contribution to the existing literature. Firstly, it shows that homes play a restorative role in veterans' life. Secondly, the experiences of Romanian veterans and their families illustrate the changing nature of civil-military relations in Romania after 1989, thereby shedding light on the intersections of neoliberalism, postsocialism, and militarism in contemporary warfare. Overall, this article deepens and broadens the role of cultural representations in shaping understandings of war, military service, and veterans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a review of the book, Biobehavioural resilience to stress. An edited book by Brian Lukey and Victoria Tepe based on 12 extensive articles, this erudite yet circumspect contribution systematically examines the nature of resilience to stress in the context of military combat. Organized into four accessible sections with contributions ranging from military experts to psychologists, sociologists and behavioural scientists, this account provides a truly interdisciplinary perspective to the challenges associated with appreciating the complexity of resilience to managing stress in the face of extreme adversity. While this book does not claim to provide answers or solutions, it opens up a host of questions and ways forward for advancing the research field with a focus on enhancing resilience among those serving in the military. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable concern about the ease with which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms can be simulated, especially when compensation-seeking is a factor. The current study investigated whether the Morel Emotional Numbing Test (MENT) could discriminate between compensation-seeking and non-compensation-seeking war veterans: 49 compensation-seeking veterans and 70 veterans seeking treatment completed the MENT, an instrument aimed to detect overreporting of PTSD symptoms. Results showed that compensation-seeking war veterans scored significantly higher on the MENT than non-compensation-seeking war veterans. Also, the MENT's accuracy rates were very promising. This study shows that the MENT is an adequate tool for evaluating PTSD claims. We recommend using the MENT as a screening tool, whereby respondents above a certain cutoff should be evaluated more carefully to assess the degree to which their posttraumatic symptoms are genuine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychopathology after disasters: General characteristics and critical concerns This article presents a comprehensive review of psychopathology after disasters. The central concept of the article is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Explained are relevant criteria of this disorder, prevalence findings, and related mental disorders, such as depression. The course of PTSD as well as biological dimensions are described. Furthermore, the author examines various critical issues with regard to the concept of PTSD, such as the definition of the traumatic stressor, the role of criterion F (functional impairment), the matter of simulation, and the problem of co-morbidity. Finally, pros and contras of the concept are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]