Mental health of Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force

Author(s):  
Julián Reyes-Vélez ◽  
Jill Sweet ◽  
MaryBeth MacLean ◽  
Alain Poirier ◽  
Linda D. VanTil

LAY SUMMARY The objective of this research was to explore the association between demographic and service characteristics and mental health in Canadian Veterans of the Reserve Force. Reserve Class C model showed that marital status, age, chronic pain, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and type of release were associated with mental health. The Reserve Class A/B model showed that age, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and type of release were associated with mental health. These results showed that similar factors were associated with the mental health score, with different degrees of association by Reserve Class. These results will help to better describe Reserve Force Veterans that may require mental health assistance.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaru Chen ◽  
Xin Huang ◽  
Chengyuan Zhang ◽  
Yuanyuan An ◽  
Yiming Liang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected more than 5 million people around the world and killed more than 300,000 people; thus, it has become a global public health emergency. Our objective was to investigate the mental health of hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Methods The PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Trauma Exposure Scale, abbreviated version of the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and Demographic Questionnaire were used to examine posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, trauma exposure, resilience and perceived social support among 898 patients who were hospitalized after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in China. The data were analyzed with t tests, one-way ANOVA and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results The results showed that the prevalence of PTSD, depression and anxiety was 13.2, 21.0 and 16.4%, respectively. Hospitalized patients who were more impacted by negative news reports, had greater exposure to traumatic experiences, and had lower levels of perceived social support reported higher PTSD, depression and anxiety. Conclusions Effective professional mental health services should be designed to support the psychological wellbeing of hospitalized patients, especially those who have severe disease, are strongly affected by negative news and have high levels of exposure to trauma.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joviana Quintes Avanci ◽  
Fernanda Serpeloni ◽  
Thiago Pires de Oliveira ◽  
Simone Gonçalves de Assis

Abstract Background The frequency of trauma and different types of violence exposure in urban areas and their effects on the mental health of adolescents in developing countries are poorly investigated. Most information about traumatized young people comes from war scenarios or disasters. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of PTSD in trauma-exposed students in a low-resource city of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The effects of sociodemographic and individual and family factors in the development of PTSD were also investigated. Methods Through multi-stage cluster sampling, 862 adolescents (Mage = 15 years old, 65% female) from public and private schools in the city of São Gonçalo were selected for the study. Self-rating structured questionnaires were applied to assess sociodemographic profile, exposure to physical and psychological violence (family, school, community), sexual abuse, social support, social functional impairment, resilience, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The data were grouped in blocks regarding sociodemographic, individual, family, and community variables. For statistical analysis, chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, and logistic regression were performed. Results The PTSD prevalence was 7.8% among adolescents. Boys were exposed to significantly higher number of events of community violence, while girls to family violence. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for PTSD were statistically significant for age (OR, 1.45, [95% CI, 1.043–2.007]), social functional impairment (OR, 4.82, [95% CI, 1.77–13.10]), severe maternal physical violence (OR, 2.79, [95% CI, 0.79–9.93]), psychological violence by significant people (OR, 3.96, [95% CI, 1.89–8.31]) and a high number of episodes of community violence (OR, 3.52, [95% CI, 1.47–8.40). Conclusions There was a high prevalence of PTSD within this population associated with exposure to violence. Not only physical, but also psychological violence contributed to PTSD. The results also raise awareness to the differences in life trajectories between boys and girls regarding violence. These differences need to be better understood in order to enable the development of effective preventative interventions. Treating and preventing mental health disorders presents a challenge for countries, especially those with a lower degree of social and economic development and high community violence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 247054702098167
Author(s):  
Alisher R. Dadabayev ◽  
Sonalee A. Joshi ◽  
Mariam H. Reda ◽  
Tamar Lake ◽  
Mark S. Hausman ◽  
...  

Objective To date, treatment options (i.e. psychotherapy, antidepressant medications) for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are relatively few, and considering their limited efficacy, novel therapies have gained interest among researchers and treatment providers alike. Among patients with chronic pain (CP) about one third experience comorbid PTSD, which further complicates their already challenging pharmacological regimens. Low dose ketamine infusion has shown promise in PTSD, and in treatment of CP, however they have not been studied in comorbid population and under rigorous control conditions. Methods We compared the effects of a single dose of either ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) or ketorolac (15 mg) over a 40-minute of IV infusion in CP patients with and without PTSD, in double blind, randomized study. Measures were collected before, during, one day and seven days after the infusion. A planned sample size of 40 patients randomly assigned to treatment order was estimated to provide 80% power to detect a hypothesized treatment difference after the infusion. Main Outcome and Measures: The primary outcome measures were change in PTSD symptom severity assessed with the Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain administered by a study clinician 24 hours post infusion. Secondary outcome measures included Impact of Event Scale–Revised (IES-R), VAS and Brief Pain Inventory (Short Form) for pain 1 week after the infusion. Results Both treatments offered comparable improvement of PTSD and CP symptoms that persisted for 7 days after the infusion. Patients with comorbid PTSD and CP experienced less dissociative side effects compared to the CP group. Surprisingly, ketorolac infusion resulted in dissociative symptoms in CP patients only. Conclusions This first prospective study comparing effects of subanesthetic ketamine versus ketorolac infusions for comorbid PTSD and CP, suggests that both ketamine and ketorolac might offer meaningful and durable response for both PTSD and CP symptoms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 888-897
Author(s):  
Anna E Wise ◽  
Brian C Smith ◽  
Aaron P Armelie ◽  
Jessica M Boarts ◽  
Douglas L Delahanty

We examined the relationship between source of social support and mental health (and the moderating impact of age) in 64 low socioeconomic status, racial minority lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents/young adults. Social support from family ( β = −.302, p = .03; β = −.364, p = .008), but not friends or significant others, was independently related to posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms, respectively. Family social support was associated with lower posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms in participants aged 16–19 years, while friend social support was associated with lower symptoms for participants aged over 20 years. Friend social support was also associated with lower posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in participants aged 16–17 years. Interventions should target age-appropriate sources of social support.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1422
Author(s):  
Evaldas Kazlauskas ◽  
Odeta Gelezelyte ◽  
Auguste Nomeikaite ◽  
Paulina Zelviene

Multiple empirical studies have revealed significant pandemic effects of COVID-19 on mental health in various populations. This study aimed to analyze the incidences of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder (AjD) in national healthcare in 2018–2020 in one of the European countries—Lithuania—and estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on PTSD and AjD incidences in 2020. The national healthcare registry was used for estimations of diagnosis of PTSD, AjD, and major depressive disorder (MD). The study revealed that stress-related disorders PTSD and AjD are diagnosed rarely, resulting in a considerable gap between the expected prevalence and incidences of these diagnoses in healthcare in Lithuania. Moreover, a significant decline in mental disorders incidence in healthcare in 2020, in comparison to 2018 and 2019, was found, revealing that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on access to healthcare services and increased barriers for mental disorders treatment. The study indicates that major developments in building up knowledge about the effects of trauma and life stressors on mental health are needed in Lithuania and other countries to increase awareness about stress-related disorders and improve care for trauma survivors, in particular in the context of the pandemics or other large-scale disasters.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Reed ◽  
Elizabeth Lehinger ◽  
Briana Cobos ◽  
Kenneth E. Vail ◽  
Paul S. Nabity ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe novel coronavirus (2019; CV-19) is linked to increases in emotional distress and may be particularly problematic for those with pre-existing mental and physical conditions, such as chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, little empirical research has been published on resilience factors in these individuals. The present study aims to examine authenticity as a resilience factor among those with chronic pain and/or PTSD.MethodsPrior to the national response to the pandemic (January 10-24, 2020), participants were screened for pain-related disability (Oswestry Disability Index; ODI) and PTSD symptoms (Posttraumatic Checklist for DSM-5; PCL-5), and on the basis of those responses were categorized into one of four groups: healthy, chronic pain only, PTSD only, or comorbid chronic pain and PTSD. During the CV-19 pandemic (May 5-May 13, 2020), participants responded again to the ODI and PCL-5, in addition to the Wood Authenticity Scale, Brief Pain Inventory, and items related to the CV-19 pandemic.ResultsA total of 110 participants (54.55% women), aged 42.19 (SD = 13.16), completed the survey during the pandemic. The comorbid group endorsed higher levels of CV-19 Threat and Impact compared to all other groups. Authenticity moderated this relationship relevant to CV-19 Threat among those in the chronic pain only group, and not in any other group.ConclusionThe comorbid group endorsed higher levels of CV-19 Threat and Impact compared to all other groups. Importantly, greater authenticity was associated with less CV-19 Threat in the chronic pain only group, and not in any other group. The present study also highlights the importance of engaging authentically for those with chronic pain during the pandemic.


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