Objective predictors of delayed-onset post-traumatic stress disorder occurring after military discharge

2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (10) ◽  
pp. 2119-2126 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Brewin ◽  
B. Andrews ◽  
J. Hejdenberg ◽  
L. Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Service Personnel ◽  
Objective Evidence ◽  
Externalizing Disorder ◽  
Military Discharge ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that develops after military personnel have been discharged may lead to severe impairment. We investigated whether personnel who develop PTSD after discharge can be identified by independent evidence of internalizing signs such as depression or of externalizing signs such as disciplinary offences while still serving.MethodVeterans in receipt of a war pension who only developed PTSD post-discharge were compared with matched veterans who developed PTSD in service or never suffered from PTSD. Contemporaneous medical and personnel records were searched for objective evidence of internalizing and externalizing disorder.ResultsService personnel who developed PTSD post-discharge were indistinguishable from controls with no PTSD on their psychiatric presentation in service. Those with post-discharge PTSD had significantly more disciplinary offences, specifically absence without leave, disobedience, and dishonesty, than the no-PTSD group, and this excess of offences was present before any exposure to trauma.ConclusionsThis is the first study to find objective evidence independent of self-report for the claimed link between externalizing disorder and vulnerability to PTSD. Early signs of externalizing disorders may play an important role in helping to identify service personnel at risk of PTSD after military discharge.

scholarly journals Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Quality of Life of COVID-19 Survivors at 6-Month Follow-Up: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liqun Huang ◽  
Xiaohua Xu ◽  
Lingjie Zhang ◽  
Danwen Zheng ◽  
Yuntao Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Sleep Difficulty ◽  
Post Traumatic

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric sequelae among novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of PTSD symptoms, PTSD-related factors, and its relationship with quality of life at long-term follow-up in hospitalized COVID-19 survivors.Methods: A cross-sectional study was undertaken to evaluate the health consequences of hospitalized COVID-19 survivors. All participants were interviewed face-to-face through a series of questionnaires: a researcher-developed symptom questionnaire, the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist–Civilian Version, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item, and the 36-item Short Form.Results: A total of 574 participants were enrolled with an average age of 57 years. The median follow-up time post-discharge was 193.9 days (SD = 15.32). Among the participants, 77.9% of survivors presented with at least one symptom, where fatigue or muscle weakness (47.9%) was reported the most frequently, followed by chest distress (29.4%) and sleep difficulty (29.4%). The prevalence of PTSD was 11.15% [95% confidence interval (CI): 8.56, 13.73] with a cut-off score of 44. Factors such as respiratory symptoms [odds ratio (OR): 3.53; 95% CI: 1.68–7.42], anxiety (OR: 14.64; 95% CI: 7.09–30.21), and sleep difficulty (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.14–4.16) were positively related to PTSD. Those COVID-19 survivors with potential PTSD had significantly lower quality of life than those without (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Our study illustrated that a significant number of COVID-19 survivors were suffering from physical or mental distress to varying degrees at 6 months post-discharge. People with PTSD were more likely to experience persistent respiratory symptoms and sleep difficulty, as well as anxiety and a decreased quality of life. Such survivors require greater attention to their mental health, particularly the PTSD symptoms at the early phase, which may play an important role in the recovery of both the physical and psychological health of COVID-19 survivors.

scholarly journals Enduring somatic threat perceptions and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in survivors of cardiac events

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 1817-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Meli ◽  
Carmela Alcántara ◽  
Jennifer A Sumner ◽  
Brendan Swan ◽  
Bernard P Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Discharge ◽  
Threat Perceptions ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Post Traumatic

Post-traumatic stress disorder due to acute cardiovascular events may be uniquely defined by enduring perceptions of somatic threat. We tested whether post-traumatic stress disorder at 1 month post–acute coronary syndrome indeed required both high peritraumatic threat during the acute coronary syndrome and ongoing cardiac threat perceptions. We assessed peritraumatic threat during emergency department enrollment of 284 patients with a provisional acute coronary syndrome diagnosis and cardiac threat perceptions and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms 1 month post-discharge. In a multiple regression model with adjustment for important covariates, emergency department threat perceptions were associated with higher 1 month post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms only among those with high levels of ongoing cardiac threat.

scholarly journals Documented combat exposure of US veterans seeking treatment for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

2005 ◽  
Vol 186 (6) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Christopher Frueh ◽  
Jon D. Elhai ◽  
Anouk L. Grubaugh ◽  
Jeannine Monnier ◽  
Todd B. Kashdan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Service Use ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Combat Exposure ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Objective Evidence ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Us Veterans

BackgroundThere are concerns regarding the validity of combat exposure reports of veterans seeking treatment for combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within US Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.AimsTo verify combat exposure history for a relevant sample through objective historical data.MethodArchival records were reviewed from the US National Military Personnel Records Center for 100 consecutive veterans reporting Vietnam combat in a Veterans Affairs PTSD clinic. Cross-sectional clinical assessment and 12-month service use data were also examined.ResultsAlthough 93% had documentation of Vietnam war-zone service, only 41% of the total sample had objective evidence of combat exposure documented in their military record. There was virtually no difference between the Vietnam ‘combat’ and ‘no combat’ groups on relevant clinical variables.ConclusionsA significant number of treatment-seeking Veterans Affairs patients may misrepresent their combat involvement in Vietnam. There are implications for the integrity of the PTSD database and the Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

scholarly journals Impact of paternal deployment to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and paternal post-traumatic stress disorder on the children of military fathers

2018 ◽  
Vol 212 (6) ◽  
pp. 347-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola T. Fear ◽  
Ruth V. Reed ◽  
Sarah Rowe ◽  
Howard Burdett ◽  
David Pernet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Unit ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Service Personnel ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundLittle is known about the social and emotional well-being of children whose fathers have been deployed to the conflicts in Iraq/Afghanistan or who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).AimsTo examine the emotional and behavioural well-being of children whose fathers are or have been in the UK armed forces, in particular the effects of paternal deployment to the conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan and paternal PTSD.MethodFathers who had taken part in a large tri-service cohort and had children aged 3–16 years were asked about the emotional and behavioural well-being of their child(ren) and assessed for symptoms of PTSD via online questionnaires and telephone interview.ResultsIn total, 621 (67%) fathers participated, providing data on 1044 children. Paternal deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan was not associated with childhood emotional and behavioural difficulties. Paternal probable PTSD were associated with child hyperactivity. This finding was limited to boys and those under 11 years of age.ConclusionsThis study showed that adverse childhood emotional and behavioural well-being was not associated with paternal deployment but was associated with paternal probable PTSD.Declaration of interestN.T.F. is a trustee of the Warrior Programme, a charity supporting ex-service personnel and their families. She is also a member of the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD). S.W. is a trustee of Combat Stress, a charity supporting ex-service personnel and their families, and President of the Royal Society of Medicine. S.W. is partially funded by the National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Emergency Preparedness and Response at King's College London in partnership with Public Health England (PHE), in collaboration with the University of East Anglia and Newcastle University.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document