Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are uniquely associated with disability and life dissatisfaction in post-9/11 veterans

Bernstein, John P K; Fonda, Jennifer R.; Currao, Alyssa; Kim, Sahra; Milberg, William; McGlinchey, Regina E.; Fortier, Catherine B.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114589

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Most samples were predominantly male (31 studies). Studies were made up of non-clinical samples (n = 12) [34-37, 39-47], probable PTSD (n = 8) [29,32,[48][49][50][51][52][53], mild TBI (n = 1) [54], physical/amputation injury (n = 3) [17,38,55] and all other treatment-seeking samples where health condition is not specified (n = 12) [24,30,31,[51][52][53][56][57][58][59][60][61]. One study investigated specific domains of social support (structural, functional), whilst three investigated type of social support (emotional, tangible).…”

Section: Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Having a service-related injury (compared to not) [38], worsened physical functioning [30] and self-reported sleep disturbances [41] were associated with lower PSS scores, whilst erectile dysfunction was not [48]. In addition, higher PSS scores were associated with increased self-reported pain and role limitation [30], as well as disability and dissatisfaction [56].…”

Section: Physical Health (N = 4)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Turning attention to physical health-related factors, higher PSS scores were associated with increased pain and role limitation [30], as well as disability and dissatisfaction [56]. Individuals who report highly in pain, role limitation and disability may in turn require more tangible support and assistance with daily tasks.…”

Section: Associated Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Grover,

Williamson,

Burdett

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Combat deployment increases exposure to potentially traumatic events. Perceived social support (PSS) may promote health and recovery from combat trauma. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize studies investigating the level of PSS, and associated factors, in (ex-)military personnel who served in the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. Methods Five electronic databases were searched in August 2023 and searches were restricted to the beginning of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts in 2001. The search was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A quality assessment was carried out, a meta-analysis and narrative synthesis were performed. Results In total, 35 papers were included consisting of 19,073 participants. Out of these, 31 studies were conducted in the United States and 23 were cross-sectional. The pooled mean PSS score was 54.40 (95% CI: 51.78 to 57.01). Samples with probable post-traumatic stress disorder reported a lower mean level of PSS (44.40, 95% CI: 39.10 to 49.70). Around half of the included studies (n = 19) investigated mental health in relation to PSS, whilst only four explored physical health. The most frequently reported risk factors for low PSS included post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, whilst post-traumatic growth and unit support were protective factors. Conclusion Higher levels of PSS were generally associated with more positive psychosocial and mental health-related outcomes following deployment. PSS should be targeted in psychosocial interventions and education programmes. Future studies should investigate PSS in (ex-)military personnel across other countries and cultures.

show abstract

Section: Study Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Physical Health (N = 4)mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Grover,

Williamson,

Burdett

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the influence of predictors of PTSD course on functional outcomes has been examined in isolation, there is a need to examine these predictors in one model to establish their independent contributions to functional outcomes. Further, much of the available evidence is cross-sectional (e.g., [22]); however, as the association between predictors and functional outcomes is dynamic, their relationship should be examined longitudinally. Additionally, research effort needs to be focused on examining multiple dimensions of functioning, encompassing both degree of disability (e.g., ability to complete tasks of daily living), as well as more subjective experiences of functioning (e.g., quality of life).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations between Predictors of PTSD and Psychosocial Functioning in Veterans: Results from a Longitudinal Assessment Study

Pearson,

Mendoza,

Coppin

et al. 2024

Depression and Anxiety

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Impairments in psychosocial functioning are common in veterans, especially in those with significant mental health symptoms. Although available treatments are aimed at alleviating these symptoms, impairments in psychosocial functioning do not appear to be fully addressed. To achieve rehabilitation and full societal participation, there is a need to identify longitudinal associations of both symptoms and functional outcomes which can be targeted in treatment. United States veterans (N=491) of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were recruited as part of a longitudinal assessment study which examined predictors of postdeployment adjustment. Veterans were assessed at four timepoints over the course of a two-year period. A Bayesian multivariate multilevel model was used to estimate the association of predictors of PTSD (depression, alcohol use, suicidal ideation, and sleep) on psychosocial functioning as encompassed by quality of life (Quality of Life Scale (QLS)) and disability (World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS)) scores over time. As female veterans have unique environmental exposures and functional demands, interactions between predictors and gender were included in all models. There was significant overlap between predictors of PTSD and predictors of disability across domains and quality of life. Depressive symptoms and social support emerged as the strongest predictors of psychosocial functioning. Additionally, suicidality and alcohol use emerged as predictors of quality of life, but not disability. As expected, increases in PTSD symptoms predicted increased disability and decreased quality of life. The effect of depressive symptoms on quality of life was more pronounced for male veterans, and the effect of PTSD and alcohol use on quality of life was more pronounced for female veterans. Findings highlight various treatment targets which have the potential to improve symptoms of PTSD and functional outcomes. Findings highlight an opportunity to leverage intervention and prevention efforts focused on decreasing depression and increasing social support to improve trauma symptoms and maximize rehabilitation and functional recovery in veterans.

show abstract

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Grover,

Williamson,

Burdett

et al. 2024

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose Combat deployment increases exposure to potentially traumatic events. Perceived social support (PSS) may promote health and recovery from combat trauma. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize studies investigating the level of PSS and associated factors among (ex-)military personnel who served in the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. Methods Five electronic databases were searched in August 2023 and searches were restricted to the beginning of the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts in 2001. The search was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A quality assessment was carried out, and a meta-analysis and narrative synthesis were performed. Results In total, 35 papers consisting of 19,073 participants were included. Of these, 31 studies were conducted in the United States (US) and 23 were cross-sectional. The pooled mean PSS score was 54.40 (95% CI: 51.78 to 57.01). Samples with probable post-traumatic stress disorder had a lower mean PSS score (44.40, 95% CI: 39.10 to 49.70). Approximately half of the included studies (n = 19) investigated mental health in relation to PSS, whilst only four explored physical health. The most frequently reported risk factors for low PSS included post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, whilst post-traumatic growth and unit support were protective factors. Conclusion Higher levels of PSS were generally associated with more positive psychosocial and mental health-related outcomes following deployment. PSS should be targeted in psychosocial interventions and education programmes. Future research should investigate PSS in (ex-)military personnel across other countries and cultures, based on the lack of studies that focused on PSS in countries outside of the US.

show abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are uniquely associated with disability and life dissatisfaction in post-9/11 veterans

Cited by 3 publications

References 49 publications

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Associations between Predictors of PTSD and Psychosocial Functioning in Veterans: Results from a Longitudinal Assessment Study

Level of perceived social support, and associated factors, in combat-exposed (ex-)military personnel: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About