Families of prisoners of war held in Vietnam: A seven-year study

A paucity of information exists about how families of prisoners of war (POWs) cope with their prolonged, ambiguous period of family disruption. This report summarizes the lessons learned from a 7-year longitudinal study of families of POWs and servicemen missing in action (MIA) during the Vietnam War. The study was carried out at the now-defunct Center for Prisoner of War Studies (CPWS)from 1971 through 1978. The Center, located in San Diego, CA, was disestablished in 1978, prior to a comprehensive distillation of lessons learned. Nonetheless, much of what is known today about how families cope with both the captivity period, as well as the post-repatriation or reintegration process, is derived from the CPWS effort.