Association of Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Posttraumatic Psychological Growth Among US Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Pietrzak RH
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8033430 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Association of Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder With Posttraumatic Psychological Growth Among US Veterans During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Pietrzak Robert H RH Tsai Jack J Southwick Steven M SM
JAMA network open 20210401 4
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Project description:Although numerous longitudinal studies have examined heterogeneity in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom course, the long-term course of the disorder remains poorly understood. This study sought to understand and predict long-term PTSD symptom course among a nationwide sample of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom veterans enrolled in Veterans Health Administration services. We assessed PTSD symptoms at 4 time points over approximately 4.5 years (M = 55.11 months, SD = 6.89). Participants (N = 1,353) with and without probable PTSD were sampled at a 3:1 ratio, and male and female veterans were sampled at a 1:1 ratio to fully explore the heterogeneity of PTSD symptom course and the effect of sex on symptom course. By coding time as years since index trauma, we estimated the course of PTSD symptoms over 20 years. Results indicate symptom course is most appropriately characterized by substantial heterogeneity. On average, veterans experienced initial PTSD symptom severity above the diagnostic threshold following trauma exposure, which was initially stable over time and later began to gradually improve. Although results indicate symptoms eventually began to decline, this effect was gradual; most participants continued to meet or exceed the PTSD provisional diagnostic threshold long after trauma exposure. We identified several predictors and correlates of symptom course, including Hispanic ethnicity, postdeployment social support, and co-occurring psychopathology. Results highlight the heterogeneous nature of PTSD symptom course following trauma exposure and the urgency of the need to ensure access to evidence-based care and to improve available treatments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC7416431 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo measure the rate of benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZA) dependence in older veterans with insomnia symptoms chronically using BZAs and to assess for associations between high posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk and BZA dependence.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among veterans aged 55 years and older with insomnia symptoms (current or historical) and chronic use of BZAs (≥3 months). Measurements included the Primary Care-PTSD screen (score >2 indicates high PTSD risk) and Benzodiazepine Dependence Questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to test for associations between PTSD risk and BZA dependence.ResultsA high PTSD risk was observed in 40% of the participants (N = 33). One-fifth (21.7%, N = 18) of participants met the criteria for benzodiazepine dependence (score ≥23 on Benzodiazepine Dependence Questionnaire). Veterans with high PTSD risk were significantly more likely to have BZA dependence (odds ratio 10.09, 95% CI [2.39, 42.54], p = .002).ConclusionsIn older veterans with insomnia symptoms and chronic use of BZAs, high PTSD risk is associated with elevated risk for BZA dependence, which may make discontinuation of these medications difficult.Clinical implicationsClinicians should consider the strong association between PTSD symptoms and benzodiazepine dependence when developing plans to taper a BZA in veterans with these symptoms.
| S-EPMC8814045 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Context: Treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in young children (ages 0-6) should be adapted to their developmental characteristics: to their cognitive, social, and emotional abilities, to their specific trauma reactions and adjustments, and finally, to their degree of dependency on adults. Due to the lack of official recommendations for the treatment of PTSD in young children and considering the high prevalence of PTSD among this population, there is a growing need for targeted psychological interventions and psychotherapies for the youngest children with PTSD or posttraumatic symptoms.Objective: To provide an update on effective psychological interventions available for the treatment of PTSD and posttraumatic symptoms in young children (under the age of 6).Design: Systematic review of automated searches conducted using the search engines Google Scholar, Science Direct, PsycInfo, and PubMed.Results: This review identified 17 articles reporting on the efficacy of an individual therapy for treating PTSD or posttraumatic stress symptoms in young children. The therapies identified are TF-CBT, CPP, PCIT, DET, early pathway, EMI and EMDR.Conclusion: No treatment can currently be identified as a level-one evidence-based treatment (Well-Established Treatment) in children younger than 6 years old with PTSD or posttraumatic symptoms. Further research is essential to validate existing findings on the effectiveness of trauma-focused therapies in young children in order to establish internationally recognized recommendations.
| S-EPMC11656754 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC10859885 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportancePosttraumatic headache is the most disabling complication of mild traumatic brain injury. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are often comorbid with posttraumatic headache, and there are no established treatments for this comorbidity.ObjectiveTo compare cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) for headache and PTSD with treatment per usual (TPU) for posttraumatic headache attributable to mild traumatic brain injury.Design, setting, and participantsThis was a single-site, 3-parallel group, randomized clinical trial with outcomes at posttreatment, 3-month follow-up, and 6-month follow-up. Participants were enrolled from May 1, 2015, through May 30, 2019; data collection ended on October 10, 2019. Post-9/11 US combat veterans from multiple trauma centers were included in the study. Veterans had comorbid posttraumatic headache and PTSD symptoms. Data were analyzed from January 20, 2020, to February 2, 2022.InterventionsPatients were randomly assigned to 8 sessions of CBT for headache, 12 sessions of cognitive processing therapy for PTSD, or treatment per usual for headache.Main outcomes and measuresCo-primary outcomes were headache-related disability on the 6-Item Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) and PTSD symptom severity on the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (PCL-5) assessed from treatment completion to 6 months posttreatment.ResultsA total of 193 post-9/11 combat veterans (mean [SD] age, 39.7 [8.4] years; 167 male veterans [87%]) were included in the study and reported severe baseline headache-related disability (mean [SD] HIT-6 score, 65.8 [5.6] points) and severe PTSD symptoms (mean [SD] PCL-5 score, 48.4 [14.2] points). For the HIT-6, compared with usual care, patients receiving CBT for headache reported -3.4 (95% CI, -5.4 to -1.4; P < .01) points lower, and patients receiving cognitive processing therapy reported -1.4 (95% CI, -3.7 to 0.8; P = .21) points lower across aggregated posttreatment measurements. For the PCL-5, compared with usual care, patients receiving CBT for headache reported -6.5 (95% CI, -12.7 to -0.3; P = .04) points lower, and patients receiving cognitive processing therapy reported -8.9 (95% CI, -15.9 to -1.9; P = .01) points lower across aggregated posttreatment measurements. Adverse events were minimal and similar across treatment groups.Conclusions and relevanceThis randomized clinical trial demonstrated that CBT for headache was efficacious for disability associated with posttraumatic headache in veterans and provided clinically significant improvement in PTSD symptom severity. Cognitive processing therapy was efficacious for PTSD symptoms but not for headache disability.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02419131.
| S-EPMC9237802 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportancePosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with greater risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) in predominantly male populations or limited community samples. Women veterans represent a growing, yet understudied, population with high levels of trauma exposure and unique cardiovascular risks, but research on PTSD and IHD in this group is lacking.ObjectiveTo determine whether PTSD is associated with incident IHD in women veterans.Design, setting, and participantsIn this retrospective, longitudinal cohort study of the national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic medical records, the a priori hypothesis that PTSD would be associated with greater risk of IHD onset was tested. Women veterans 18 years or older with and without PTSD who were patients in the VHA from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2017, were assessed for study eligibility. Exclusion criteria consisted of no VHA clinical encounters after the index visit, IHD diagnosis at or before the index visit, and IHD diagnosis within 90 days of the index visit. Propensity score matching on age at index visit, number of prior visits, and presence of traditional and female-specific cardiovascular risk factors and mental and physical health conditions was conducted to identify women veterans ever diagnosed with PTSD, who were matched in a 1:2 ratio to those never diagnosed with PTSD. Data were analyzed from October 1, 2018, to October 30, 2020.ExposuresPTSD, defined by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), or International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), diagnosis codes from inpatient or outpatient encounters.Main outcomes and measuresIncident IHD, defined as new-onset coronary artery disease, angina, or myocardial infarction, based on ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnosis codes from inpatient or outpatient encounters, and/or coronary interventions based on Current Procedural Terminology codes.ResultsA total of 398 769 women veterans, 132 923 with PTSD and 265 846 never diagnosed with PTSD, were included in the analysis. Baseline mean (SD) age was 40.1 (12.2) years. During median follow-up of 4.9 (interquartile range, 2.1-9.2) years, 4381 women with PTSD (3.3%) and 5559 control individuals (2.1%) developed incident IHD. In a Cox proportional hazards model, PTSD was significantly associated with greater risk of developing IHD (hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% CI, 1.38-1.50). Secondary stratified analyses indicated that younger age identified women veterans with PTSD who were at greater risk of incident IHD. Effect sizes were largest for those younger than 40 years at baseline (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.55-1.93) and decreased monotonically with increasing age (HR for ≥60 years, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.12-1.38).Conclusions and relevanceThis cohort study found that PTSD was associated with increased risk of IHD in women veterans and may have implications for IHD risk assessment in vulnerable individuals.
| S-EPMC7970390 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC10445197 | biostudies-literature
Project description: Not available
| S-EPMC8938717 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects a high proportion of returning combat veterans, but the biological mechanisms of PTSD remain unclear. Circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) have been associated with depression, and anxiety disorders, but there is little understanding of how miRNAs may relate to PTSD. In this study we compare profiles of circulating miRNA in combat veterans with and without PTSD in order to better understand biological mechanisms of PTSD. Methods: Blood from 24 male military service members was collected following deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and subjects were assessed for PTSD symptoms using the PTSD checklist-military version. miRNA was isolated from whole blood and sequenced on the Ion Torrent PGM™ using the Ion 316 Chip v2. Differences in miRNA expression was compared between subjects with PTSD (N=15) and combat matched controls without PTSD (N=9). Significantly different miRNA, according to a FDR≤0.05, were assessed for predictive putative targets, and pathway analysis of related targets was completed. Results: PTSD was associated with 4 upregulated and 4 downregulated miRNA, including a 2.94 fold increase in miR-19a-3p and a 1.56 fold decrease in miR-15b. Pathway analysis show that PTSD is related to the axon guidance and Wnt signaling pathways, which work together along with the adherens junction and MAPK signaling pathways to support neuronal development through regulation of growth cones. The PTSD associated miRNAs related to transcription factors, including Transcription factor 7 (T-cell specific, HMG-box), Transcription factor 7 like 1, and Transcription factor 7 like 2. Conclusions: PTSD is associated with miRNAs that regulate biological functions that include neuronal activities, suggesting that they play a role in PTSD symptomatology.
2017-03-07 | GSE87768 | GEO
Project description:ObjectiveIndividuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) smoke at higher rates compared to the general population and experience significant barriers to initiating cessation treatment. Proactive outreach addresses these barriers by directly engaging with smokers and facilitating access to treatment. The objective of the present study was to evaluate a proactive outreach intervention for increasing rates of treatment utilization and abstinence among veteran smokers with and without PTSD.MethodThis is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial conducted from 2013 to 2017 that demonstrated the effectiveness of proactive outreach among veterans using Veterans Affairs mental health care services. Electronic medical record data were used to identify participants with (n = 355) and without (n = 1,583) a diagnosis of PTSD. Logistic regressions modeled cessation treatment utilization (counseling, nicotine replacement therapy [NRT], and combination treatment) and abstinence (7-day point prevalence and 6-month prolonged at 6- and 12-month follow-ups) among participants randomized to proactive outreach versus usual care in the PTSD and non-PTSD subgroups, respectively.ResultsCompared to usual care, proactive outreach increased combined counseling and NRT utilization among participants with PTSD (odds ratio [OR] = 26.25, 95% confidence interval [3.43, 201.17]) and without PTSD (OR = 10.20, [5.21, 19.98]). Proactive outreach also increased 7-day point prevalence abstinence at 12 months among participants with PTSD (OR = 2.62, [1.16, 5.91]) and without PTSD (OR = 1.61, [1.11, 2.34]).ConclusionsProactive outreach increased treatment utilization and abstinence among smokers with and without PTSD. Smokers with PTSD may need additional facilitation to initiate cessation treatment but are receptive when it is offered proactively. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
| S-EPMC8237825 | biostudies-literature