Prior Assault and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder After Combat Deployment

Abstract

Background. Studies have reported that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent in U.S. military personnel returning from combat deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). Vulnerability to or resilience against PTSD in individuals following overwhelming stress is not well understood. The objective of this study was to prospectively examine the relationship between prior assault and new-onset PTSD symptoms in a large U.S. military cohort deployed in support of GWOT. Methods. Millennium Cohort baseline enrollment data (July 2001 to June 2003) were obtained before GWOT. Followup data on health outcomes (June 2004 to February 2006) were collected from over 55,000 participants. Of these, 5324 were deployed in support of GWOT, reported combat exposures, and were free of PTSD at baseline (women=881, men=4443). Multivariable logistic regression was used to model the risk of new-onset PTSD in relation to prior assault. Results. Analyses were conducted stratifying by sex and adjusting for baseline age, education, marital status, race/ethnicity, cigarette smoking, problem drinking, rank, service component, service branch, and occupation. New-onset PTSD symptoms or diagnosis among deployers reporting combat exposures occurred in 21.7% of women who reported prior assault and 10.1% of those not reporting prior assault. Among men, the rates were 12.4% and 5.9%, respectively. Adjusting for baseline factors, the risk of new-onset PTSD symptoms was more than twofold higher in both women and men who reported assault prior to deployment. Conclusions. Survival from prior assault appears to confer increased risk for, rather than resilience against, PTSD symptoms among military professionals deployed to recent combat operations.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA497056

Entities

People

  • Deborah L. Wingard
  • Donald J. Slymen
  • Donna Kritz-silverstein
  • James F. Sallis
  • Margaret A.K. Ryan
  • Tyler Clain Smith

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Air Force
  • Combat Operations
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Education
  • Epidemiology
  • Health
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Public Health
  • Sexual Assault
  • Vulnerability
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.