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The association between military sexual stress and psychiatric symptoms after controlling for other stressors.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Several researchers have identified associations between exposure to occupational sexual stressors (e.g., sexual harassment) and severer psychiatric symptoms in military personnel. However, few controlled for participants' exposures to other high-magnitude stressors, which could have confounded results. We examined the unique association between military sexual stress and severity of participants' psychiatric symptoms after controlling for their other high-magnitude stressor experiences. Organizational- and individual-level predictors of military sexual stress were also assessed. METHOD:We surveyed by mail all active duty troops registered in the Department of Veterans Affairs' Enrollment Database (2001-2003). The questionnaire contained well-validated measures. RESULTS:Eighty-four percent responded (total sample N = 611); of these 56% reported at least one sexual stressor exposure. A highly significant association between military sexual stress and psychiatric symptoms attenuated by two thirds and lost statistical significance once other stressor experiences were controlled. Besides sociodemographics, the strongest correlates of military sexual stress were working in an environment perceived to tolerate sexual harassment, reporting severer childhood maltreatment, and reporting more high-magnitude stressors. A gender-stratified analysis generated similar findings for men and women. CONCLUSIONS:Little unique variance in psychiatric symptom reporting was explained by military sexual stressor exposure after controlling for other stressors. Childhood maltreatment and other high-magnitude stressors acted as risk factors for and confounders of military sexual stress. Understanding how and why these stressors inter-relate could lead to better, more effective interventions to reduce them all-and their sequelae. Findings also highlight the need to routinely include men in sexual stress research.

SUBMITTER: Murdoch M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6519726 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The association between military sexual stress and psychiatric symptoms after controlling for other stressors.

Murdoch Maureen M Pryor John B JB Polusny Melissa A MA Wall Melanie M MM Ripley Diane Cowper DC Gackstetter Gary Dean GD

Journal of psychiatric research 20101201 16

<h4>Objective</h4>Several researchers have identified associations between exposure to occupational sexual stressors (e.g., sexual harassment) and severer psychiatric symptoms in military personnel. However, few controlled for participants' exposures to other high-magnitude stressors, which could have confounded results. We examined the unique association between military sexual stress and severity of participants' psychiatric symptoms after controlling for their other high-magnitude stressor ex ...[more]

PMID: 21115147

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Project description:BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with sexual difficulties but the nuances of this relationship remain elusive. Research has increased in recent years, most notably following publication of several reviews in 2015.AimThis systematic review examines the relationship between PTSD and sexual difficulties in veterans/military personnel.MethodsA systematic review was conducted using PRISMA guidelines in PsycINFO and PubMed databases for studies examining a diagnosis of PTSD or PTSD severity in relation to a range of sexual difficulties. Forty-three studies were identified that met inclusion and exclusion criteria for this review.ResultsPTSD was associated with increased risk of experiencing at least one sexual difficulty. PTSD was most clearly associated with overall sexual function, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and sexual distress. Results were mixed for sexual arousal, orgasm function, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, sexual pain, and frequency of sexual activity. PTSD symptom clusters of avoidance and negative alterations in cognition/mood were most commonly associated sexual difficulties. Few studies compared results by gender and trauma type.Clinical implicationsClinicians should inquire about sexual health in relation to PTSD symptoms and target avoidance and negative mood symptoms by incorporating sexual exposure assignments and sexual activation exercises when appropriate.Strengths & limitationsThis systematic review synthesizes an extensive literature that has grown substantially in the past 5 years and includes studies with low to moderate risk of bias. Limitations of the existing literature include challenges differentiating between PTSD and depression, inconsistent measurement of PTSD and trauma histories, inconsistent operationalization and measurement of sexual outcomes, and largely cross-sectional study designs.ConclusionPTSD is linked to a range of sexual outcomes. The current literature suggests that PTSD is associated with sexual difficulties related to both the sexual response cycle (ie, sexual desire) and one's emotional relationship to sexual activity (eg, sexual distress). More research is needed to increase confidence in findings. Bird ER, Piccirillo M, Garcia N, et al. Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Sexual Difficulties: A Systematic Review of Veterans and Military Personnel. J Sex Med 2021;18:1398-1426.

Project description:Importance:The long-term association between sleep duration and mental health in children is currently unknown. Objective:To investigate the prospective associations between sleep duration and symptoms of emotional and behavioral disorders at ages 6, 8, 10, and 12 years. Design, Setting, and Participants:This population-based cohort study obtained data from the Trondheim Early Secure Study in Trondheim, Norway. A representative, stratified random sample of children born between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2004, were invited to participate. Participants were followed up biennially from age 4 years (2007-2008) to 12 years (2013-2014). Data analysis was conducted from January 2, 2019, to May 28, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures:Sleep duration was assessed with 1 week of continuous use of a triaxial accelerometer. Symptoms of emotional (anxiety and depression) and behavioral (oppositional defiant, conduct, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity) disorders were measured by semistructured clinical interviews (using the Preschool Age Psychiatric Assessment and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment) with parents (at all ages) and children (from age 8 years). Results:The analytical sample comprised 799 children (mean [SD] age at time point 2, 6.0 [0.2] years; 405 [50.7%] boys; and 771 [96.5%] Norwegian). Shorter sleep duration at age 6 years (? [unstandardized regression coefficient]?=?-0.44; 95% CI, -0.80 to -0.08; P?=?.02) and 8 years (??=?-0.47; 95% CI, -0.83 to -0.11; P?=?.01) forecasted symptoms of emotional disorders 2 years later. Comparatively short sleep duration at age 8 years (??=?-0.65; 95% CI,?-1.22 to -0.08; P?=?.03) and 10 years (??=?-0.58; 95% CI,?-1.07 to -0.08; P?=?.02) was associated with symptoms of behavioral disorders 2 years later among boys but not among girls at age 8 years (? =?-0.14; 95% CI,-?0.52 to 0.24; P?=?.48) or 10 years (??=?-0.05; 95% CI,?=?-0.49 to 0.40; P?=?.84). These associations were statistically significant among boys compared with girls at age 8 years (??21?=?13.26; P?<?.001) and 10 years (??21?=?10.25; P?=?.001). Symptoms of psychiatric disorders did not forecast sleep duration at any age. Conclusions and Relevance:This study found an association between short sleep duration and increased risk of future occurrence of emotional disorder symptoms in both boys and girls and between reduced sleep and behavioral disorder symptoms in boys. These results suggest that improving sleep in children may help protect against the development of symptoms of common psychiatric disorders and may be advantageous in the treatment of such disorders.

Project description:BackgroundAccording to the stress inoculation hypothesis, successfully navigating life stressors may improve one's ability to cope with subsequent stressors, thereby increasing psychiatric resilience.AimsAmong individuals with no baseline history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD), to determine whether a history of a stressful life event protected participants against the development of PTSD and/or MDD after a natural disaster.MethodAnalyses utilised data from a multiwave, prospective cohort study of adult Chilean primary care attendees (years 2003-2011; n = 1160). At baseline, participants completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI), a comprehensive psychiatric diagnostic instrument, and the List of Threatening Experiences, a 12-item questionnaire that measures major stressful life events. During the study (2010), the sixth most powerful earthquake on record struck Chile. One year later (2011), the CIDI was re-administered to assess post-disaster PTSD and/or MDD.ResultsMarginal structural logistic regressions indicated that for every one-unit increase in the number of pre-disaster stressors, the odds of developing post-disaster PTSD or MDD increased (OR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.08-1.37, and OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.06-1.27 respectively). When categorising pre-disaster stressors, individuals with four or more stressors (compared with no stressors) had higher odds of developing post-disaster PTSD (OR = 2.77, 95% CI 1.52-5.04), and a dose-response relationship between pre-disaster stressors and post-disaster MDD was found.ConclusionsIn contrast to the stress inoculation hypothesis, results indicated that experiencing multiple stressors increased the vulnerability to developing PTSD and/or MDD after a natural disaster. Increased knowledge regarding the individual variations of these disorders is essential to inform targeted mental health interventions after a natural disaster, especially in under-studied populations.

Project description:Some individuals experience their first sexual intercourse through physically forced sex, which affects the way they experience and cope with stress. We examined differences in sexual risk behavior, experience of stressors, and use of stress-coping strategies among adolescents in Nigeria based on their history of forced sexual initiation and HIV status.We analyzed data from 436 sexually active 10-19-year-old adolescents recruited through a population-based survey from 12 Nigerian states. Using Lazarus and Folkman's conceptual framework of stress and coping, we assessed if adolescents who reported forced sexual initiation were more likely to report HIV sexual risk practices, to report as stressors events related to social expectations, medical care and body images, and loss and grief, and to use more avoidance than adaptive coping strategies to manage stress. We also assessed if HIV status affected experience of stressors and use of coping strategies.Eighty-one adolescents (18.6%) reported a history of forced sexual initiation; these participants were significantly more likely to report anal sex practices (OR: 5.04; 95% CI: 2.14-11.87), and transactional sex (OR: 2.80; 95% CI: 1.56-4.95). Adolescents with no history of forced sexual initiation were more likely to identify as stressors, life events related to social expectations (OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.96-1.11) and loss and grief (OR: 1.34; 95% CI: 0.73-2.65), but not those related to medical care and body images (OR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.34-1.18). They were also more likely to use adaptive responses (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 0.62-3.50) than avoidance responses (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.49-1.64) to cope with stress, though these differences were not significant. More adolescents with a history of forced sexual initiation who were HIV positive identified as stressors, life events related to medical care and body images (p = 0.03) and loss and grief (p = 0.009). Adolescents reporting forced sexual initiation and HIV-negative status were significantly less likely to use religion as a coping strategy (OR: 0.28; 95% CI: 0.09-0.83).History of forced sexual initiation and HIV status affected perception of events as stressors and use of specific coping strategies. Our study findings could inform best practice interventions and policies to prevent and address forced sexual initiation among adolescents in Nigeria and other countries.

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The association between military sexual stress and psychiatric symptoms after controlling for other stressors.

Publications

The association between military sexual stress and psychiatric symptoms after controlling for other stressors.

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