Posttraumatic stress symptom courses in U.S. military veterans: A seven-year, nationally representative, prospective cohort study.
J Psychiatr Res
; 119: 23-31, 2019 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31546045
ABSTRACT
The current study examined the nature and correlates of seven-year posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom courses in a nationally representative, prospective cohort of U.S. military veterans. Data were analyzed from 2,307 trauma-exposed veterans who completed at least one follow-up assessment over a 7-year period, a subsample of nâ¯=â¯3,157 veterans who participated in the first wave of the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Latent growth mixture modeling (LGMM) was used to identify PTSD symptom courses over four survey waves conducted in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018. Sociodemographic, health, and psychosocial variables were examined as potential correlates of symptomatic trajectories. PTSD symptoms were best characterized by three courses No/Low (89.2%), Moderate Symptom (7.6%), and High Symptom (3.2%). Relative to the No/Low Symptom course, symptomatic courses were positively associated with a greater number of lifetime traumatic events, higher scores on measures of physical health difficulties and lifetime psychiatric history (relative risk ratio [RRR] rangeâ¯=â¯1.19-2.74), and were negatively associated with time since index trauma, household income, and social connectedness (RRR rangeâ¯=â¯0.14-0.97). Veterans in the Moderate Symptom course additionally had lower scores on a measure of protective psychosocial characteristics (RRRâ¯=â¯0.78) and were more likely to have received mental health treatment (RRRâ¯=â¯1.62), while those in the High PTSD Symptom course were more likely to be exposed to combat and to more traumas since Wave 1 (RRR rangeâ¯=â¯1.23-4.63). Three PTSD symptom courses in U.S. veterans were identified, with more than 10% of veterans exhibiting a moderate or high symptom course. Prevention and treatment efforts targeting modifiable correlates, such as social connectedness, may help mitigate symptomatic PTSD symptom courses in this population.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Transtornos de Estresse Pós-Traumáticos
/
Veteranos
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Progressão da Doença
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
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Etiology_studies
/
Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2019
Tipo de documento:
Article