POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND COLOR PREFERENCE IN RELEASED PRISONERS OF WAR

The Lüscher Color Test was administered to a sample of 188 male ex-prisoners of war (aged 18-66 years), who underwent psychiatric and psychological examination. The aim of this study was to evaluate possible connections between PTSD symptom clusters and color preferences, and possible impact of post-war and post-imprisonment period on color choice. The obtained results showed a prevalence of 6.9% for full PTSD diagnosis and 38.8% for Partial PTSD diagnosis. Furthermore, we found increased preference for violet (dominantly in those with one symptom cluster) and green (dominantly in those with full PTSD or two symptom clusters) and decreased preference for red (all subgroups). The persistence of the post-trauma period influenced even more pronounced preference for green, and even lesser preference for red.