Military-related experiences and late-life depressive symptomatology among Japanese-American world war II veterans.

Objectives: To examine military service-related variables and late-life depressive symptomatology among older Japanese-American males.Method: This study is a secondary data analysis of a longitudinal, community-based study. A sample of 2669 participants (771 World War II veterans, 1898 civilians) was drawn from the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Depressive symptoms were assessed twice across a 9-year period with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. Covariates included sociodemographic, physical health, health behavior, and psychosocial variables. Combat exposure and symptomatology were examined among a subset of 426 veterans. Cross-sectional and longitudinal designs were analyzed with linear regression.Results: Veterans and civilians did not differ in depression scores. Baseline depression scores significantly predicted follow-up depression scores. For the full sample, lower ratings of quality of life satisfaction, daily activity control and general health were associated with higher depression scores both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Among veterans, light combat exposure was marginally associated with lower depression scores and longitudinally, previous depression scores and poorer health ratings were significant predictors of depression scores.Conclusion: Results suggest that military service does not affect late-life depressive symptomatology. However, combat exposure may play a marginal role in increased symptoms. Reasons for results include the possibility that other factors are more relevant to late-life depression, symptomatology naturally decreasing over time, or type of combat exposure measurement. Results expand literature by examination of an ethnoracial group not studied often and longitudinal examination of late-life depressive symptoms within a military-related context. Stakeholders should be knowledgeable of the distinct issues presented when serving aging veterans.

Effects of Military Service on Marital Stability Among World War II U.S. Veterans of Japanese Descent.

INTRODUCTION: This study had two goals. First, we investigated how World War II (WW II) military service impacted marital stability during men's young and middle adulthood in a large community sample of American men of Japanese descent. Second, within a subgroup of WW II veterans, we assessed how the level of combat exposure affected marital stability. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Honolulu Heart Program and later Honolulu-Asia Aging Project were longitudinal, community-based studies of Japanese-American men living in Hawai'i. This study is a secondary data analysis of 1,249 male WW II veterans and 3,489 men of Japanese descent who were civilians during WW II, born 1910-1919, who completed interviews at the first (1965-1968) and third (1971-1975) exams. Data from a subsample of veterans who completed a military service interview during the sixth exam (1997-1999) also were used. In the first set of analyses, we compared veterans to civilians on three marital outcomes for ages 15-59: (1) likelihood of never marrying, (2) age at first marriage, and (3) likelihood of divorce. Next, we investigated the negative consequences of increasing combat exposure on the same marital outcomes. All analyses controlled for age in 1941 and occupation. RESULTS: Overall, 88% of the sample remained in their first marriage with no differences between veterans and civilians. We found no effects of military service on the timing of first marriages on the likelihood of divorce during young and middle adulthood. However, among those who had not married before WW II, veterans were significantly more likely to remain unmarried compared with civilians; odds ratio = 1.52 (1.10, 2.09). The level of combat exposure did not predict any of the three marital outcomes among WW II veterans. In fact, none of the other military service characteristics assessed (i.e., age of military induction, years of service, and service-connected disability) predicted marital outcomes. We found that age at the beginning of WW II impacted the timing and stability of marriage in both veterans and civilians. Finally, we identified cultural effects on the likelihood of marriage between Nisei and Kibei groups with Nisei men being less likely to marry. CONCLUSION: Similar to other groups in this era, long-term marriage with one partner was the norm for both veterans and civilians. For a small portion of American men of Japanese descent, military service seemed to impact the transition into marriage. However, we found no differences in the timing of marriage or the likelihood of divorce based on military service or level of combat exposure. While our findings are inconsistent with previous research on the impact of military service and combat exposure, much of that research was conducted with mainland veterans, usually of European descent. There appears to be little long-term disruption of life course events. Results highlight the importance of studying diverse groups of veterans to understand how experiences in the military interact with pre-military factors in defining long-term responses to military service.

PTSD Care Among Veterans With and Without Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether a co-occurring substance use disorder contributed to disparities in receipt of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) specialty care or psychotherapy. METHODS: Logistic regression, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, was used to examine predictors of PTSD care among 424,211 veterans with confirmed PTSD (two or more PTSD diagnosis encounters) who accessed care in a VHA facility between fiscal years 2009 and 2010. RESULTS: Overall, 16% of veterans had PTSD and a co-occurring substance use disorder diagnosis. In adjusted analyses, veterans with a co-occurring substance use disorder were more likely than veterans with PTSD alone to receive any outpatient PTSD specialty care and complete eight or more sessions of outpatient psychotherapy within 14 weeks, but they were less likely to be treated in inpatient PTSD specialty units. CONCLUSIONS: Co-occurring substance use disorders did not appear to hinder receipt of outpatient specialty PTSD treatment or of sufficient psychotherapy among VHA-enrolled veterans.

Effectiveness of brief VR treatment for PTSD in war-fighters: a case study.

War-fighters exposed to combat are at high risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a complex and challenging condition to treat. Cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) have been empirically validated as effective treatments for PTSD resulting from sexual assault, vehicular accidents, and disasters. Exposure, imaginal or in vivo, to the traumatic event is a central component of successful CBT treatment. Early studies indicate that CBT with brief virtual reality exposure (VRE) is beneficial in treating PTSD. The case study examined the effectiveness of brief VRE in treating combat-related PTSD.