Dataset Information

Using Next-Generation Sequencing Transcriptomics To Determine Markers of Post-traumatic Symptoms: Preliminary Findings from a Post-deployment Cohort of Soldiers.

ABSTRACT: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a concerning psychobehavioral disorder thought to emerge from the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. For soldiers exposed to combat, the risk of developing this disorder is twofold and diagnosis is often late, when much sequela has set in. To be able to identify and diagnose in advance those at "risk" of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, would greatly taper the gap between late sequelae and treatment. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether the transcriptome can be used to track the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in this unique and susceptible cohort of individuals. Gene expression levels in peripheral blood samples from 85 Canadian infantry soldiers (n = 58 participants negative for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and n = 27 participants with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder) following return from deployment to Afghanistan were determined using RNA sequencing technology. Count-based gene expression quantification, normalization and differential analysis (with thorough correction for confounders) revealed genes associated to PTSD; LRP8 and GOLM1 These preliminary results provide a proof-of-principle for the diagnostic utility of blood-based gene expression profiles for tracking symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers returning from tour. It is also the first to report transcriptome-wide expression profiles alongside a post-traumatic symptom checklist.

SUBMITTER: Boscarino C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6385974 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Using Next-Generation Sequencing Transcriptomics To Determine Markers of Post-traumatic Symptoms: Preliminary Findings from a Post-deployment Cohort of Soldiers.

Boscarino Cathy C Nalpathamkalam Thomas T Pellecchia Giovanna G Li Weili W Thiruvahindrapuram Bhooma B Merico Daniele D

G3 (Bethesda, Md.) 20190207 2

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a concerning psychobehavioral disorder thought to emerge from the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. For soldiers exposed to combat, the risk of developing this disorder is twofold and diagnosis is often late, when much sequela has set in. To be able to identify and diagnose in advance those at "risk" of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, would greatly taper the gap between late sequelae and treatment. Therefore, this study so ...[more]

PMID: 30622122

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Project description:Background: Soldiers' perception of leadership during military deployment has gained research attention as a potentially modifiable factor to buffer against the development of postdeployment post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within nonmilitary research, the organizational justice (OJ) framework, i.e. distributive justice, procedural justice (PJ) and interactional justice (IJ), has been found to relate to mental health outcomes. Aspects of OJ may, therefore, be protective against PTSD. Objectives: We examined the prospective relationship between aspects of OJ, namely the perceptions of PJ and IJ by subordinate soldiers without leadership obligations in relationship to immediate superiors and PTSD. Method: Participants were soldiers (n = 245) deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan in 2009. Logistic regression procedures were used. The primary analysis measured PTSD cases using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis-I Disorder (SCID) 2½ years after homecoming. PJ/IJ was measured during deployment with a 6-item composite measure ranging from 0 to 12. Supplementary primary analyses were performed with PJ/IJ measured before and immediately after deployment. A secondary PJ/IJ analysis also tested against four postdeployment measures with the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist Civilian (PCL-C) dichotomized at screening symptom levels. Results: Higher levels of perceived PJ/IJ for soldiers without leadership obligations during deployment had a prospective relation (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.75-0.98) with PTSD on the SCID 2½ years after homecoming after adjustment for factors including predeployment PTSD symptoms, trauma and combat exposure, and state affectivity. Similar results were found by measuring PJ/IJ before (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.71-0.95) but not immediately after homecoming (OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.85-1.11). A relationship with PTSD symptoms at the screening level at the four measurements of PCL-C was found, but only when predeployment PTSD symptoms were not controlled for. Conclusions: These results suggest that PJ/IJ exercised by superiors in relation to military deployments may protect subordinate soldiers against the development of postdeployment PTSD.

Project description:ObjectivesTo test responses of formerly deployed soldiers (FDS) to a questionnaire on deployment experiences in combination with screening levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression approximately 6 months after homecoming as predictors of the subsequent probability of gaining employment when unemployed within 5 years post-deployment.Design, setting and participantsDanish FDS responders (n=3935) and non-responders (n=3046) to a 6-month post-deployment screening questionnaire after returning from a first-ever deployment to Kosovo, Iraq or Afghanistan (2002 to 2012) were included in the study and followed in public registers from 6 months to 5 years post-deployment.Primary and secondary outcome measuresWe tested Cox regression models including deployment experiences (1a), screening levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms (1b), and their combination (2) for FDS responders. For all FDS, a secondary model included a measure on whether they responded to the questionnaire (3).ResultsNeither the deployment experiences (1a) of exposure to danger and combat (HR=1.00, 95% CI=0.97 to 1.03) and witnessing consequences of war (HR=1.01, 95% CI=0.96 to 1.06), or the screening levels (1b) of PTSD (HR=1.06, 95% CI=0.84 to 1.33) and depressive symptoms (HR=0.82, 95% CI=0.64 to 1.06) were significant predictors of transitioning from unemployment to employment. Similar results were found for the combined model (2). A tendency among non-respondents (3) to have a lower probability of transitioning from unemployment to employment was found (HR=0.90, 95% CI=0.81 to 1.00).ConclusionDeployment experiences, PTSD and depressive symptoms, as measured at 6-month screening questionnaire, did not predict differences in the probability of gaining employment when unemployed within 5 years post-deployment. However, the findings suggest that those with the least probability of transitioning from unemployment to employment can be found among the non-responders to the post-deployment screening questionnaire.

Project description:Background: Previous studies showed that self-stigma is associated with poor clinical outcomes in people with serious mental illness, and is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, less is known about self-stigma in people with dissociative symptoms, which are often related to psychological trauma. This study examined whether baseline self-stigma would be associated with dissociative, PTSD and depressive symptoms at post-intervention, after controlling for treatment usage and baseline symptom severity, in a sample of traumatized Chinese adults undertaking a psychoeducation intervention for dissociative symptoms.Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a 60-day web-based psychoeducation programme. A total of 58 participants who provided data before and after the intervention were included for analysis. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted.Results: In this highly traumatized, dissociative, and symptomatic help-seeking sample, baseline self-stigma was associated with PTSD (β = .203, p = .032) and depressive (β = .264, p = .025) symptoms at post-intervention, even after controlling for baseline symptom severity, age, location, number of sessions attended in the web-based psychoeducation programme, and use of psychological treatments for PTSD/dissociative symptoms. However, self-stigma was not associated with dissociative symptoms (p = .108).Conclusions: This is the first study showing that self-stigma is a significant predictor of comorbid symptoms (i.e. PTSD and depressive symptoms) in people seeking interventions for dissociative symptoms. The findings that post-traumatic and dissociative symptoms have different relationships to self-stigma also highlight the possibility dissociation might be an independent psychological construct closely associated with trauma, but not merely a PTSD symptom, although further studies are necessary. The preliminary findings call for more efforts to understand, prevent, and address self-stigma in people with trauma-related mental health issues such as dissociative symptoms.

Dataset Information

Using Next-Generation Sequencing Transcriptomics To Determine Markers of Post-traumatic Symptoms: Preliminary Findings from a Post-deployment Cohort of Soldiers.

Publications

Using Next-Generation Sequencing Transcriptomics To Determine Markers of Post-traumatic Symptoms: Preliminary Findings from a Post-deployment Cohort of Soldiers.

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