Kimberly T. Green

Association of trauma exposure with psychiatric morbidity in military veterans who have served since September 11, 2001

OBJECTIVE This study examined the association of lifetime traumatic stress with psychiatric diagnostic status and symptom severity in veterans serving in the US military after 9/11/01. METHOD Data from 356 US military veterans were analyzed. Measures included a standardized clinical interview measure of psychiatric disorders, and paper-and-pencil assessments of trauma history, demographic variables, intellectual functioning, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, alcohol misuse, and global distress. RESULTS Ninety-four percent of respondents reported at least one traumatic stressor meeting DSM-IV criterion A for PTSD (i.e., life threatening event to which the person responded with fear, helplessness or horror), with a mean of four criterion A traumas. Seventy-one percent reported serving in a war-zone, with 50% reporting occurrence of an event meeting criterion A. The rate of current psychiatric disorder in this sample was: 30% PTSD, 20% major depressive disorder, 6% substance abuse or dependence and 10% for the presence of other Axis I psychiatric disorders. After accounting for demographic covariates and combat exposure, childhood physical assault and accident/disasters were most consistently associated with increased likelihood of PTSD. However, PTSD with no comorbid major depressive disorder or substance use disorder was predicted only by combat exposure and adult physical assault. Medical/unexpected-death trauma and adult physical assault were most consistently associated with more severe symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS Particular categories of trauma were differentially associated with the risk of psychiatric diagnosis and current symptom severity. These findings underscore the importance of conducting thorough assessment of multiple trauma exposures when evaluating recently post-deployed veterans.

Exploration of the resilience construct in posttraumatic stress disorder severity and functional correlates in military combat veterans who have served since September 11, 2001.

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the relationship between resilience and psychological functioning in military veterans deployed to a region of military conflict in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. METHOD 497 military veterans completed a structured psychiatric interview and questionnaires measuring psychological symptoms, resiliency, and trauma exposure. The study had 2 primary aims: (1) to examine whether the association between trauma exposure and PTSD was moderated by resilience and (2) to examine whether resilience was uniquely associated with functional outcomes after accounting for PTSD. Measures included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders (for PTSD diagnosis), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire. Data were collected between June 2005 and February 2009. RESULTS Evaluating the association of resilience and trauma exposure with PTSD revealed main effects for combat exposure, lifetime trauma exposure, and resilience. Additionally, there was a significant (P < .05) interaction between combat exposure and resilience such that higher levels of resilience were particularly protective among individuals with high combat exposure. After controlling for age, gender, minority status, trauma exposure, and PTSD diagnosis, resilience was uniquely associated with decreased suicidality, reduced alcohol problems, lower depressive symptom severity, and fewer current health complaints and lifetime and past-year medical problems. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that resilience is a construct that may play a unique role in the occurrence of PTSD and severity of other functional correlates among deployed veterans. Future studies in this area would benefit from a prospective design, the evaluation of other possible protective processes (e.g., social support), and specific examination of particular aspects of resilience and how resilience may be increased.

Examining the factor structure of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a post-9/11 U.S. military veteran sample.

The present study examined the structural validity of the 25-item Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) in a large sample of U.S. veterans with military service since September 11, 2001. Participants (N = 1,981) completed the 25-item CD-RISC, a structured clinical interview and a self-report questionnaire assessing psychiatric symptoms. The study sample was randomly divided into two subsamples: an initial sample (Sample 1: n = 990) and a replication sample (Sample 2: n = 991). Findings derived from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) did not support the five-factor analytic structure as initially suggested in Connor and Davidson’s instrument validation study. Although parallel analyses indicated a two-factor structural model, we tested one to six factor solutions for best model fit using confirmatory factor analysis. Results supported a two-factor model of resilience, composed of adaptability- (8 items) and self-efficacy-themed (6 items) items; however, only the adaptability-themed factor was found to be consistent with our view of resilience—a factor of protection against the development of psychopathology following trauma exposure. The adaptability-themed factor may be a useful measure of resilience for post-9/11 U.S. military veterans.

Exploration of the influence of childhood trauma, combat exposure, and the resilience construct on depression and suicidal ideation among U.S. Iraq/Afghanistan era military personnel and veterans.

This study evaluated the effect of childhood trauma exposure and the role of resilience on both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. The study evaluated 1,488 military personnel and veterans, who served after September 2001, for depressive, suicidal, and PTSD symptoms, combat exposure, childhood trauma exposure, and resiliency. Participants were enrolled as part of an ongoing multicenter study. Outcome measures were depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. After controlling for the effects of combat exposure and PTSD, results revealed that childhood trauma exposures were significantly associated with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. In addition, resilience was negatively associated with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation, suggesting a potential protective effect. These findings suggest that evaluation of childhood trauma is important in the clinical assessment and treatment of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among military personnel and veterans.

Alcohol misuse and psychological resilience among U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans

OBJECTIVE The present study sought to investigate the longitudinal effects of psychological resilience against alcohol misuse adjusting for socio-demographic factors, trauma-related variables, and self-reported history of alcohol abuse. METHODOLOGY Data were from the National Post-Deployment Adjustment Study (NPDAS) participants who completed both a baseline and one-year follow-up survey (N=1090). Survey questionnaires measured combat exposure, probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychological resilience, and alcohol misuse, all of which were measured at two discrete time periods (baseline and one-year follow-up). Baseline resilience and change in resilience (increased or decreased) were utilized as independent variables in separate models evaluating alcohol misuse at the one-year follow-up. RESULTS Multiple linear regression analyses controlled for age, gender, level of educational attainment, combat exposure, PTSD symptom severity, and self-reported alcohol abuse. Accounting for these covariates, findings revealed that lower baseline resilience, younger age, male gender, and self-reported alcohol abuse were related to alcohol misuse at the one-year follow-up. A separate regression analysis, adjusting for the same covariates, revealed a relationship between change in resilience (from baseline to the one-year follow-up) and alcohol misuse at the one-year follow-up. The regression model evaluating these variables in a subset of the sample in which all the participants had been deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan was consistent with findings involving the overall era sample. Finally, logistic regression analyses of the one-year follow-up data yielded similar results to the baseline and resilience change models. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that increased psychological resilience is inversely related to alcohol misuse and is protective against alcohol misuse over time. Additionally, it supports the conceptualization of resilience as a process which evolves over time. Moreover, our results underscore the importance of assessing resilience as part of alcohol use screening for preventing alcohol misuse in Iraq and Afghanistan era military veterans.

The impact of social support on psychological distress for U.S. Afghanistan/Iraq era veterans with PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses

This study aimed to examine the degree to which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects the relationship between social support and psychological distress for U.S. Afghanistan/Iraq era veterans with and without co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Veterans (N=1825) were administered self-report questionnaires and a structured diagnostic interview as part of a multi-site study of post-deployment mental health through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC). Main and interaction effects models assessed the association between psychological distress and social support for three comparisons conditions (Controls vs. PTSD-only, non-PTSD, and PTSD plus co-morbid diagnoses). Having PTSD was a critical factor in attenuating the strength of this association, more so than other diagnoses. Furthermore, those with PTSD plus co-morbid diagnoses did not demonstrate significantly larger attenuation in that association compared to the PTSD-only group, indicating that psychiatric comorbidity may be less important in considering the role of social support in PTSD. By understanding this relationship, new avenues for engaging and enhancing treatment outcomes related to social support for veterans of this cohort may be identified. Additional longitudinal research could help evaluate the effect of PTSD symptom clusters, social support type, and trauma exposure type on these relationships.

An examination of the association between 5-HTTLPR, combat exposure, and PTSD diagnosis among U.S. veterans.

Objective To examine the association between the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism of the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) gene, combat exposure, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and among two samples of combat-exposed veterans. Method The first sample included 550 non-Hispanic Black (NHB) combat-exposed veterans. The second sample included 555 non-Hispanic White (NHW) combat-exposed veterans. Participants were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 variants of the SLC6A4 gene. A structured clinical interview was used to diagnose PTSD. Combat and civilian trauma exposure were assessed with validated self-report instruments. Logistic regression was used to test for main effects of 5-HTTLPR on PTSD diagnosis as well as gene x environment (GxE) interactions after adjusting for sex, ancestry proportion scores, civilian trauma exposure, and combat exposure. Results Within the NHB sample, a significant additive effect was observed for 5-HTTLPR (OR = 1.502, p = .0025), such that the odds of having a current diagnosis of PTSD increased by 1.502 for each additional S’ allele. No evidence for an association between 5-HTTLPR and PTSD was observed in the NHW sample. In addition, no evidence for combat x 5-HTTLPR effects were observed in either sample. Conclusion The present study suggests that there may be an association between 5-HTTLPR genotype and PTSD diagnosis among NHB veterans; however, no evidence for the hypothesized 5-HTTLPR x combat interaction was found.

No association between RORA polymorphisms and PTSD in two independent samples

Logue et al.1 reported genome-wide significant association between a polymorphism (rs8042149) in the RORA gene, encoding the retinoic acid orphan receptor A, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a cohort of trauma-exposed white non-Hispanic US veterans and their partners. The genome-wide association study yielded evidence of association for three additional SNPs at the 10-6 threshold in the same cohort (rs8041061, rs8024133, rs11071561). Amstadter et al.2 reported a significant association between rs8042149 and PTSD symptoms in the 2004 Florida Hurricane Study. The RORA gene encodes a nuclear hormone receptor that regulates the transcription activity of nearby genes. It is widely expressed in the brain, where it protects cortical neurons against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by increasing the expression of antioxidant proteins.1 Logue et al.1 proposed that genetic variations in RORA may alter its expression, reducing the capacity of neurons to respond to biochemical stressors induced by traumatic stress.

Orthostatic hypotension in young adults with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.

The purpose of this research is (a) to evaluate differences in orthostatic hypotension (OH) among young adults with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and (b) to examine whether group differences may be attributable to behavioral risk factors frequently associated with PTSD. Volunteers and U.S. veterans 18 to 39 years old (N = 222) completed a semistructured interview assessment of PTSD status. Direct measurements were obtained for supine and standing systolic and diastolic blood pressure at study visits, as well as height and weight, from which body mass index (BMI) was calculated. After controlling for use of psychotropic medications, a logistic regression model revealed that PTSD status was positively associated with OH, such that participants with PTSD were at 4.51 greater odds of having OH than control participants. Moreover, this effect was partially mediated by lifetime alcohol dependence (bootstrapped 95% confidence interval [-0.83, -0.20]). Overall, PTSD may pose a significant risk for OH among younger adults. In the present sample, this relationship was primarily driven by the disproportionately high history of alcohol dependence among individuals with PTSD. These results suggest that traditional therapy for PTSD should be coupled with treatment for alcohol dependency, when applicable, to reap both psychological and physiological benefits.

Mediators of interpersonal violence and drug addiction severity among methamphetamine users in Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa has high rates of interpersonal violence and a rapidly growing methamphetamine epidemic. Previous research has linked experiences of interpersonal violence to higher rates of substance use, and identified mental health constructs as potential mediators of this association. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between interpersonal violence and addiction severity among active methamphetamine users in Cape Town, South Africa, and to explore symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use coping as mediators of this relationship. A community sample of 360 methamphetamine users was recruited through respondent driven sampling and surveyed on their experiences of violence, mental health, coping, and drug use and severity. A series of one-way ANOVAs were conducted to examine the relationship of self-reported interpersonal violence with drug addiction severity, and multiple mediation analyses were used to determine if PTSD symptoms and substance use coping mediated this relationship. The majority (87%) of the sample reported experiencing at least one instance of interpersonal violence in their lifetime, and the number of violent experiences was associated with increased drug addiction severity. PTSD and substance use coping were significant mediators of this association. Only the indirect effect of substance use coping remained significant for the female sample when the mediation model was conducted separately for men and women. The findings point to the need for integrated treatments that address drug use and PTSD for methamphetamine users in South Africa and highlight the importance of coping interventions for women.