Factors associated with high functioning despite distress in post-9/11 veterans

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Military Health
• Mental Health

Background:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) significantly impacts veteran functioning.
• Identifying modifiable factors is crucial for improving quality of life in veterans with PTSD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify modifiable factors associated with perceived functioning in veterans with high PTSD symptoms.
• To differentiate between high and low functioning groups among veterans with elevated PTSD symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Survey data from 251 post-9/11 veterans on psychosocial symptoms and functioning.
• Latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify functioning groups (high/low).
• Logistic regression to predict group membership.

Main Results:

• High-functioning veterans with PTSD reported less alcohol use and fewer sleep problems.
• Higher postdeployment social support, posttraumatic growth, and optimism were linked to better functioning.
• Fewer sleep difficulties and greater social support/optimism predicted high functioning in PTSD veterans.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight the importance of targeting sleep, social support, and optimism to improve functional capacity in veterans with PTSD.
• Interventions should focus on these modifiable factors to enhance social, occupational, and general functioning.
• Addressing these factors can facilitate higher functional capacity for veterans experiencing high levels of PTSD symptomatology.