Trajectories of Trauma Symptoms and Resilience in Deployed US Military Service Members: Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

Previous attempts to determine the psychological cost of military deployment have been limited by reliance on convenience samples, lack of predeployment data or confidentiality, and cross-sectional designs. This study addressed these limitations using a population-based, prospective study of U.S. military personnel deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The sample consisted of U.S. military service members in all branches, including active duty, reserve, and national guard who deployed once (n = 3,393) or multiple times (n = 4,394). Self-reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress (PTS) were obtained prior to deployment and at two follow-ups spaced 3 years apart. Data were examined for longitudinal trajectories using latent growth mixture modelling. Latent growth mixture modeling revealed 4-class solutions representing remarkably similar PTS trajectories across time for both subpopulations: low-stable PTS (83.1% single deployers, 84.9% multiple deployers), moderate-improving PTS (8.0%, 8.5%), worsening-chronic PTS (6.7%, 4.5%), high-stable continuous PTS (2.2% single deployers only), and high-improving PTS (2.2% multiple deployers only). Covariates associated with each trajectory were identified. The final models exhibited similar types of trajectories for single and multiple deployers; most notably, the stable trajectory of low post-traumatic stress pre- to postdeployment, or resilience, was exceptionally high. Several factors predicting trajectories were identified, which we hope will assist in future research aimed at decreasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among deployers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA565429

Entities

People

  • Anthony D. Mancini
  • Cynthia A LeardMann
  • Edward J. Boyko
  • Gary Dean Gackstetter
  • George A. Bonanno
  • Jaime L. Horton
  • Teresa M. Powell
  • Timothy Steven Wells
  • Tomoko I. Hooper
  • Tyler Clain Smith

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Combat Injuries
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Deployment
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Education
  • Health Services
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • Substance-Related Disorders
  • Surveys
  • Trajectories
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder

Fields of Study

  • Computer science
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Mental Health of Military Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Risk Factors, Prevalence, Symptoms, and Treatment.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.

Technology Areas

  • Space