The Relationship Between Post-Deployment Factors and PTSD Severity in Recent Combat Veterans.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Military Mental Health
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Combat exposure is a known precursor to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• However, non-traumatic factors during and after deployment may also influence PTSD severity.
• Understanding these additional factors is critical for comprehensive veteran care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify pre, peri, and post-deployment factors associated with current PTSD severity.
• To investigate the independent predictive power of these factors in combat veterans with PTSD and hazardous alcohol use.
• To inform clinical interventions for PTSD in veterans.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory.
• Recruited 150 recent combat veterans diagnosed with PTSD and hazardous alcohol use.
• Employed hierarchical linear regression to analyze predictive factors while controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

• Four post-deployment factors independently predicted PTSD severity: unemployment, alcohol use, social support, and stressful non-traumatic life events.
• These factors demonstrated predictive value beyond socio-demographic and combat-specific variables.
• Findings highlight the role of the post-deployment environment in PTSD maintenance.

Conclusions:

• Non-traumatic post-deployment factors significantly contribute to PTSD severity in combat veterans.
• Clinical providers should consider unemployment, alcohol use, social support, and life stressors in PTSD treatment.
• This research underscores the multifaceted nature of PTSD and informs targeted therapeutic strategies.