Severity and Symptom Trajectory in Combat-Related PTSD: a Review of the Literature

Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder is increasingly recognized as having a variable course in returning veterans. Relatively few studies have identified predictors of illness duration or severity in this population. This review sought to synthesize the existing literature.

The existing literature remains limited and heterogeneous. However, several studies identified hyperarousal and pre-deployment dissociation as predictive of disease severity, and re-experiencing as predictive of suicidality in veterans with combat-related PTSD. No other pre-, peri-, or posttraumatic psychosocial predictors of individual symptoms or overall disease severity have been identified in replicated studies. Important clinical factors to explore in the assessment of PTSD in combat veterans may now include hyperarousal and a history of dissociation as these may predict disease severity, and re-experiencing as this has been identified as a significant predictor of suicidality. Further study into this topic may reveal biological or more sensitive psychosocial markers predicting illness severity and prognosis.