This dissertation examines predictors of later adulthood trauma reengagement (LATR) among aging Vietnam veterans using data from the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study (NVVLS) and its baseline, the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Survey (NVVRS). LATR is a developmental process during which older veterans intentionally revisit and attempt to reconcile wartime experiences as part of late-life meaning making. Although conceptually distinct from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the two are empirically related, and the conditions under which LATR emerges remain underexplored.

Guided by the life course perspective and socioemotional selectivity theory, this study tested whether combat exposure, PTSD, retirement, marital status, and positive appraisals of military service predicted LATR or moderated the LATR-PTSD relationship. Analyses included 1,124 veterans with complete NVVLS data. LATR was measured using the Late-Onset Stress Symptomatology–Short Form (LOSS-SF), and PTSD with the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD). Twelve hypotheses were evaluated using multiple linear regression.

Combat exposure, PTSD symptom severity, long-term course of PTSD, and concerns about retirement were independently associated with greater LATR scores. PTSD symptom severity partially mediated the associations between combat exposure and concerns about retirement with LATR, and fully mediated effects of employment status. LATR, marital status, and positive appraisals were significantly associated with PTSD symptom severity in late life; while marital status did not moderate the LATR–PTSD relationship, positive appraisals modestly buffered it.

Findings highlight LATR as a normative process through which trauma is reexamined during major life transitions such as retirement. Results on combat exposure and PTSD suggest that the magnitude and persistence of trauma shape the impetus for late-life reflection. By centering the Vietnam cohort, this research reframes trauma reengagement as a multifaceted process shaped by historical context, resilience, and developmental stage. It offers critical insight into the aging trajectories of combat veterans and provides a foundation for clinical and policy efforts supporting meaning making among younger cohorts approaching retirement.