Impact of comorbid depression on quality of life in male combat Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Abstract

Abstract-For Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression is a highly comorbid condition. Both conditions have been associated with decreased quality of life, and research suggests that comorbid PTSD and depression may result in worse quality of life than PTSD alone. However, research is needed to elucidate the effect of comorbidity on a broader variety of quality of life domains. In this study, we used baseline data of 158 male combat Veterans taking part in a PTSD treatment trial and examined the unique relationships between quality of life domains and PTSD symptom clusters, major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosis, and self-reported depressive symptoms. Veterans with comorbid PTSD-MDD reported significantly worse satisfaction-related quality of life than those with PTSD alone, although this finding was largely attributable to PTSD numbing symptoms. Subsequent analyses comparing the effect of numbing symptoms to depressive symptoms revealed that depression exerted a stronger influence, although numbing symptoms were still uniquely associated with quality of life. We discuss implications for treatment and research, as well as the need to address negative affect in Veterans with PTSD.

Improved quality of life and reduced depressive symptoms in medical students after a single-session intervention

“…According to the Q-LES-Q scores, the participants' QoL improved after the intervention, and the variation in Q-LES-Q improvement was associated with the change in BDI and OASIS scores. This finding is in accordance with the literature, [56][57][58][59][60] which reports that there is a strong inverse correlation between QoL and depressive symptoms. However, we did not find a statistically significant reduction in anxiety symptoms after the intervention.…”

Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation for Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

“…Meta‐analytic reviews have concluded, however, that fewer than half of patients have a clinically meaningful improvement even with combined psychosocial and pharmacotherapeutic treatment . Degree of impairment and unsatisfactory response to treatment are further worsened for patients when PTSD and MDD co‐occur . There is a clear and significant unmet need for new, effective treatments for this debilitating situation.…”

A structural equation analysis of the relationships between PTSD, depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation : is general strain theory a viable framework for explaining suicide risk among correctional staff?

“…Lifetime prevalence rates have been found to be consistent over time independent of DSM diagnostic criteria; studies using outdated DSM criteria have found similar reported lifetime prevalence when compared to studies using DSM-V criteria, around 7.8% in 1995 (Kessler et al, 1995) to 9% in 2001 (Marshall et al, 2001). PTSD prevalence is reported as being significantly higher in both veteran samples (Ilgen et al, 2010;Hellmuth, et al, 2012;Raab, Mackintosh, Gros, & Morland, 2015;Rytwinski et al, 2013) and those taken from occupations that involve consistent exposure to dangerous or potentially traumatic situations such as police (Marmar et al, 2006;Robinson, Sigman, & Wilson, 1997), EMTs (Marmar et al, 2006), firefighters (Boffa et al, 2016;Stanley, Hom, Spencer-Thomas, & Joiner, 2017), and correctional staff (Denhof & Spinaris, 2013Spinaris et al, 2012).…”

“…While much of the research discussed so far has examined samples from the general public, many studies on PTSD focus on occupations that involve an increased risk of potential trauma exposure. Samples from military veterans (Hellmuth et al, 2012;Ilgen et al, 2010;Raab et al, 2015) and other high-risk occupations like police officers (Marmar et al, 2006;Robinson, Sigman, & Wilson, 1997), EMTs (Marmar et al, 1996), fire fighters (Boffa et al, 2016;Stanley et al, 2017) and correctional staff (Denhof & Spinaris, 2013Spinaris et al, 2012) exhibit PTSD prevalence rates significantly higher than those in the general population. This should make them a focus for future research, as their high risk for PTSD and other psychological disorders indicates a heightened risk of serious maladaptive coping behaviors, such as suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviors.…”

“…Military veterans were the first samples in which early forms of PTSD, known then as "shell-shock" or "war neurosis", were observed (Sher, 2004). It should be no surprise, then, that studies on samples of veterans are consistently seen as reporting higher prevalence of lifetime PTSD (Hellmuth et al, 2012;Ilgen et al, 2010;Raab et al, 2015). A study on psychiatric conditions (including PTSD and depression) and suicide rates among all veterans between the ages of 18 and 80 years old using services provided by the Veterans Health Administration (n=3,291,891) reported that the 12-month prevalence of PTSD in the sample was 6.3% (Ilgen et al, 2010).…”