Understanding Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military Populations for Designing Research Protocols
Abstract
The US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory has a long-term effort toward enhancing our understanding of the physiological and behavioral components of Warfighter-relevant tasks, such as situational awareness (SA) acquisition and maintenance. A critical component of this effort is to understand the effects of stress on Warfighter state to predict and enhance performance during operational missions, especially in high-stress environments, and how individual differences (resiliency, mental health, etc.) impact performance. While we can often induce only a limited amount of stress in traditional laboratory settings, we can induce elevated stress responses by utilizing immersive environments (e.g., virtual environments or virtual reality) and by leveraging certain military personnel and veteran populations to better understand performance effects. In particular, those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) demonstrate altered physiological and behavioral processes that support SA. This report provides a basic overview of PTSD, its prevalence in the military, and how it is related to individual differences, behavior, and physiology. We hope that this review will provide an insightful and ethical lens to other DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory researchers considering leveraging this population for research.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 18, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1164023
Entities
People
- Angela Jeter
- Bianca Dalangin
- Gary Boykin
- Heather Roy
- Jessica Villarreal
- Leah Enders
- Thomas Rohaly
Organizations
- United States Army