Scott D. McDonald

The diagnostic accuracy of the PTSD checklist: a critical review.

The PTSD Checklist (PCL) is the most frequently used self-report measure of PTSD symptoms. Although the PCL has been in use for nearly 20 years and over a dozen validation studies have been conducted, this paper provides the first comprehensive review of its diagnostic utility. Eighteen diagnostic accuracy studies of the PCL are presented, followed by an examination of the potential roles of spectrum effects, bias, and prevalence in understanding the variation in sensitivity, specificity, and other operating characteristics across these studies. Two related issues as to the interchangeability of the PCLs three versions (civilian, military, and specific) and various scoring methods are also discussed. Findings indicate that the PCL has several strengths as a PTSD screening test and suggest that it can be a useful tool when followed by a second-tier diagnostic test such as a standardized interview. However, the PCLs operating characteristics demonstrate significant variation across populations, settings, and research methods and few studies have examined such factors that may moderate the PCLs utility. Recommendations and cautions regarding the use of the PCL as a clinical screening test, a diagnostic tool in research, and as an estimator of PTSD population prevalence are provided.

The validity and diagnostic efficiency of the Davidson Trauma Scale in military veterans who have served since September 11th, 2001

The present study examined the psychometric properties and diagnostic efficiency of the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS), a self-report measure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants included 158 U.S. military veterans who have served since September 11, 2001 (post-9/11). Results support the DTS as a valid self-report measure of PTSD symptoms. The DTS demonstrated good internal consistency, concurrent validity, and convergent and divergent validity. Diagnostic efficiency was excellent when discriminating between veterans with PTSD and veterans with no Axis I diagnosis. However, although satisfactory by conventional standards, efficiency was substantially attenuated when discriminating between PTSD and other Axis I diagnoses. Thus, results illustrate that potency of the DTS as a diagnostic aid was highly dependent on the comparison group used for analyses. Results are discussed in terms of applications to clinical practice and research.

Factorial Invariance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Across Three Veteran Samples

Research generally supports a 4-factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, few studies have established factor invariance by comparing multiple groups. This study examined PTSD symptom structure using the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) across three veteran samples: treatment-seeking Vietnam-era veterans, treatment-seeking post-Vietnam-era veterans, and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veteran research participants. Confirmatory factor analyses of DTS items demonstrated that a 4-factor structural model of the DTS (reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, and hyperarousal) was superior to five alternate models, including the conventional 3-factor model proposed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Results supported factor invariance across the three veteran cohorts, suggesting that cross-group comparisons are interpretable. Implications and applications for DSM-IV nosology and the validity of symptom measures are discussed.

Clinical utility of the Primary Care--PTSD Screen among U.S. veterans who served since September 11, 2001.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder that is often undetected among primary care patients. The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented the Primary Care-PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD) to screen for PTSD; however, minimal research has examined its utility. This study was designed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the PC-PTSD among veterans who had served since 9/11/2001, including operations in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Signal detection analyses were used to evaluate the performance of the PC-PTSD and two other screens, the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) and the SPAN, in a sample of 220 veterans with military service since 9/11/2001. The reference standard for PTSD was Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis based upon structured clinical interview. The impact of demographic variables on test performance was examined. A cutting score of 3 on the PC-PTSD maximized efficiency (85%; sensitivity=0.83; and specificity=0.85). Although analyses supported the utility of the PC-PTSD (area under the curve (AUC)=0.875), the measure was outperformed by both the DTS (AUC=0.944) and the SPAN (AUC=0.931). Results suggest that the PC-PTSD is an acceptable screen for PTSD among veterans. Within primary care settings, the PC-PTSD may be most advantageously employed in the context of staged screening, given the measures relative susceptibility to false positives.

Smoking in help-seeking veterans with PTSD returning from Afghanistan and Iraq

Past research has shown that veterans and individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have increased rates of smoking. However, the rates of smoking in younger help-seeking veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, and possible correlates of smoking among this population are unknown. In this study, we evaluated the rate of lifetime and current smoking among a sample of 90 returning male veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Fifty-nine percent reported a lifetime history of smoking including 32% that were current smokers. Current smokers were significantly younger than non-smokers. Current smokers (mean age=31) reported a mean age of smoking onset as 15.86 with a pack year history of 8.89. These smokers reported on average five previous quit attempts. According to a stages of change model, one-half of the smokers were in the contemplation phase of stopping smoking (50%), 29% were in the pre-contemplation phase and 21% were in the preparation phase. The results are placed in the context of non-psychiatric and psychiatric smokers.

Objectively assessing balance deficits after TBI: Role of computerized posturography.

Balance impairment, or postural instability, is a common source of residual physical disability after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Standardized functional measures such as the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) do not specifically assess balance. Furthermore, no agreement exists as to the optimal way to objectively measure balance problems in the TBI population. Technological advances have led to force-plate balance measurement known as computerized posturography testing (CPT). Published CPT data for severe TBI are lacking, and the feasibility of using CPT during rehabilitation has not been described. This study described CPT findings in 21 ambulatory patients with severe TBI who were undergoing inpatient rehabilitation at a Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center. Results demonstrated the utility of CPT in detecting and quantifying postural instability. Comparisons with the normative database indicate that the sample had a high degree of balance impairment despite some participants having reached the ceiling of the FIM ambulation scale at discharge from the acute rehabilitation setting. The quantitative CPT measures are a promising way to characterize postural instability in severe TBI populations.

Performance on the green word memory test following Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom-era military service: Test failure is related to evaluation context

This study investigates prior reports of high neuropsychological symptom validity test (SVT) failure rates in post-deployed Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) active and veteran military personnel, using a large, multi-site sample (N = 214) drawn from three levels of the Department of Defense/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care. The sample failure rate and its relationship to research versus dual research/clinical context of evaluation were examined, in addition to secondary variables explored in prior studies. Results yielded an overall failure rate of 25%, lower than prior reports describing OEF/OIF active-duty and veteran military personnel. Findings also supported the hypothesis that SVT failure rates would differ by context (dual > research). Participants with traumatic brain injury (TBI) failed more frequently than those without TBI in the dual context but not in the research context. Secondary analyses revealed that failure rates increased in the presence of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and male sex but were unrelated to active versus veteran military status, service connection (SC) or percentage of SC, age, education, or ethnicity. Further research is required to elucidate the underpinnings of these findings in light of the limited literature and variability between OEF/OIF-related SVT studies, as well as the substantial diagnostic and treatment implications for VA.

The Post-Deployment Mental Health (PDMH) study and repository: A multi-site study of US Afghanistan and Iraq era veterans.

The United States (US) Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mid‐Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) Post‐Deployment Mental Health (PDMH) multi‐site study examines post‐deployment mental health in US military Afghanistan/Iraq‐era veterans. The study includes the comprehensive behavioral health characterization of over 3600 study participants and the genetic, metabolomic, neurocognitive, and neuroimaging data for many of the participants. The study design also incorporates an infrastructure for a data repository to re‐contact participants for follow‐up studies. The overwhelming majority (94%) of participants consented to be re‐contacted for future studies, and our recently completed feasibility study indicates that 73–83% of these participants could be reached successfully for enrollment into longitudinal follow‐up investigations. Longitudinal concurrent cohort follow‐up studies will be conducted (5–10+ years post‐baseline) to examine predictors of illness chronicity, resilience, recovery, functional outcome, and other variables, and will include neuroimaging, genetic/epigenetic, serum biomarker, and neurocognitive studies, among others. To date, the PDMH study has generated more than 35 publications from the baseline data and the repository has been leveraged in over 20 publications from follow‐up studies drawing from this cohort. Limitations that may affect data collection for a longitudinal follow‐up study are also presented.

Prevalence of mental health conditions after military blast exposure, their co-occurrence, and their relation to mild traumatic brain injury.

Abstract Primary objectives: To measure common psychiatric conditions after military deployment with blast exposure and test relationships to post-concussion syndrome (PCS) symptoms and mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) history. Research design: Cross-sectional. Methods and procedures: Service members or Veterans (n = 107) within 2 years of blast exposure underwent structured interviews for mTBI, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and multiple mood and anxiety diagnoses. Main outcomes and results: MTBI history and active PTSD were both common, additionally 61% had at least one post-deployment mood or anxiety disorder episode. Psychiatric diagnoses had a high degree of comorbidity. Most dramatically, depression was 43-times (95% CI = 11–165) more likely if an individual had PTSD. PCS symptoms were greater in those with post-deployment PTSD or mood diagnosis. However, neither mTBI nor blast exposure history had an effect on the odds of having PTSD, mood or anxiety condition. Conclusions: These findings support that psychiatric conditions beyond PTSD are common after military combat deployment with blast exposure. They also highlight the non-specificity of post-concussion type symptoms. While some researchers have implicated mTBI history as a contributor to post-deployment mental health conditions, no clear association was found. This may partly be due to the more rigorous method of retrospective mTBI diagnosis determination.

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.