Childhood trauma exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan war era veterans: Implications for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and adult functional social support

Voorhees, Elizabeth E. Van; Dedert, Eric A.; Calhoun, Patrick S.; Brancu, Mira; Runnals, Jennifer J.; Beckham, Jean C.

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2012.03.004

Cited by 78 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…It also does not provide information relative to emotional and physical neglect, which have been shown to impact psychological and biological development (Dannlowski et al., 2012; Hanson et al., 2013; Sheridan, Fox, Zeanah, McLaughlin, & Nelson, 2012). While the TLEQ does not delve into the specifics of types of trauma, it has been shown to be a valid measure for detecting whether or not early life trauma occurred (Clancy et al., 2006; Corbo et al., 2014; Kubany et al., 2000; Van Voorhees et al., 2012). Given this and our sample size, subsamples based on type of I‐ELT were not tested individually.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

et al. 2017

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IntroductionInterpersonal early life trauma (I‐ELT) is associated with a myriad of functional impairments in adulthood, increased risk of drug addiction, and neuropsychiatric disorders. While deficits in emotional regulation and amygdala functioning are well characterized, deficits in general cognitive functioning have also been documented. However, the neural underpinnings of cognitive dysfunction in adults with a history of I‐ELT and the potential relationship between amygdala‐based functional connectivity and behavioral performance are currently poorly understood. This study examined how I‐ELT affects the cognitive and neural mechanisms supporting sustained attention.MethodsA total of 66 Veterans (18 with and 48 without a history of I‐ELT) completed a nonemotional sustained attention task during functional MRI.ResultsThe individuals with I‐ELT showed significant impairments in sustained attention (i.e., higher error rates, greater response variability). This cohort exhibited increased amygdala functional connectivity with the prefrontal cortex and decreased functional connectivity with the parahippocampal gyrus when compared to those without I‐ELT. These connections were significantly correlated with individual differences in sustained attention performance. Notably, classification analyses revealed that the pattern of amygdala connectivity across the whole brain was able to classify I‐ELT status with 70% accuracy.ConclusionThese results provide evidence of a lasting negative impact for those with a history of I‐ELT on sustained attention ability. They also highlight a critical role for amygdala functioning in cognitive control and sustained attention for those with a history of I‐ELT, which may underlie the observed attention deficits in clinical assessments and cognitive tests involving both emotional and nonemotional stimuli.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

et al. 2017

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“…Finally, with regard to psychosocial factors common to PTSD and BPD, there is conclusive evidence about the role of childhood trauma as a predisposing factor for both pathologies [32,33]. Despite this fact, the causal relationship between childhood trauma and BPD is deemed not to be specific.…”

Section: Theories That Explain the Association Between Ptsd And Bpdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comorbidity between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review

Frías

Palma

2014

Psychopathology

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Background: Traditionally, the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in subjects diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD) has been the object of scant empirical research. The clarification of issues related to the different areas of study for this comorbidity is not only significant from a theoretical point of view but also relevant for clinical practice. The aim of this review is to describe the main theoretical findings and research conclusions about the comorbidity between PTSD and BPD. Methods: A literature review was carried out via PubMed and PsycINFO for the period between 1990 and September 2013. The descriptors used were ‘post-traumatic stress disorder', ‘borderline personality disorder', ‘PTSD', ‘complex PTSD' and ‘BPD'. Results: Epidemiological studies show that the risk of PTSD among BPD subjects is not regularly higher than in subjects with other personality disorders. Furthermore, there is no conclusive evidence about the main aetiopathogenic mechanism of this comorbidity, either of one disorder being a risk factor for the other one or of common underlying variables. Concerning comparative studies, several studies with PTSD-BPD subjects have found a higher severity of psychopathology and psychosocial impairment than in BPD subjects. With regard to nosological status, the main focus of controversy is the validation of ‘complex PTSD', a clinical entity which may comprise a subgroup of PTSD-BPD subjects. With regard to treatment, there are preliminary evidences for the efficient treatment of psychopathology in both PTSD and BPD. Conclusions: These findings are remarkable for furthering the understanding of the link between PTSD and BPD and their implications for treatment. The results of this review are discussed, including methodological constraints that hinder external validity and consistency of referred findings.

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“…A recent study in a sample of Iraq/Afghanistan veterans noted that 40% of the sample reported experience of one instance of childhood maltreatment and 31% reported more than one instance (Van Voorhees et al, 2012). Childhood abuse, particularly non-sexual abuse including physical abuse, psychological abuse, and the cumulative amount of abuse, has been found to be related to poor physical HRQoL in a community sample and in a group of female veterans (Afifi et al, 2007;Lang et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the high levels of childhood maltreatment documented in veterans and active duty service members of the US Armed Forces (Merrill, Hervig, & Milner, 1996;Van Voorhees et al, 2012), and the long-term deleterious effects on mental health, perception of health and physical health status (Kendall-Tackett, 2002;Springer, Sheridan, Kuo, & Carnes, 2007), our study aimed to further understand the effect of childhood trauma, PTSD, and depression on physical HRQoL in an allmale sample of US military veterans and active duty servicemen. Previous studies have examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment, physical HRQoL, depression and PTSD in all-female samples of veterans and active duty service members or community male and female samples, and it appears the interrelation of these variables has received limited attention in male military samples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of childhood maltreatment on physical health-related quality of life in U.S. active duty military personnel and combat veterans

Aversa

Lemmer

Nunnink

et al. 2014

Child Abuse & Neglect

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a b s t r a c tPrevious studies have found an association between childhood maltreatment (CM) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and to a lesser extent have considered whether psychiatric symptoms may explain the relationship. This study aimed to further our understanding of the link between CM and HRQoL by testing whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depressive symptoms mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and physical HRQoL. Mediation models were examined in a sample of male Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) active duty and combat veterans (n = 249). PTSD and depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between CM and overall physical HRQoL, as well as participation in daily activities due to physical health, bodily pain, and social functioning. Mediation of the relationship between childhood maltreatment and physical and social functioning by depression and PTSD symptoms may lend support to neurobiological hypotheses that childhood maltreatment sensitizes the nervous system and after repeated trauma may lead to the development of psychiatric symptoms, which have a major impact on morbidity and mortality.Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Childhood trauma exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan war era veterans: Implications for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and adult functional social support

Cited by 78 publications

References 45 publications

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

Interpersonal early‐life trauma alters amygdala connectivity and sustained attention performance

Comorbidity between Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder: A Review

Impact of childhood maltreatment on physical health-related quality of life in U.S. active duty military personnel and combat veterans

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