PTSD Improvement Associated with Social Connectedness in Gerofit Veterans Exercise Program.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Clinical Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prevalent among Veterans and can persist into older age, affecting physical and mental well-being.
• While exercise and social support are known to benefit anxiety disorders, their specific impact on long-term PTSD in Veterans is less understood.
• The Gerofit program offers a group exercise setting for older Veterans, potentially providing a unique environment for intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the associations between social connectedness, physical function, and self-reported changes in PTSD symptoms among older Veterans in the Gerofit program.
• To investigate if improvements in physical function correlate with PTSD symptom reduction in this population.
• To explore the role of social interaction within a group exercise setting for managing chronic PTSD in aging Veterans.

Main Methods:

• A prospective clinical intervention study was conducted across twelve Veterans Affairs (VA) Gerofit sites.
• Three hundred and twenty-one older Veterans (mean age 74) participated, completing baseline and 3-month assessments.
• Measures included physical function tests (chair stands, walk tests), self-reported PTSD symptom changes (DSM-5 criteria), and social connectedness (PNSE scale).

Main Results:

• Nearly 30% of participants (n=95) reported PTSD. Self-rated PTSD symptoms significantly improved after 3 months (P < .05).
• A moderate correlation (r = .44) was observed between social connectedness and PTSD symptom improvement in those Veterans who reported improvement (n=59).
• All participants showed improved physical function, but physical function improvements were not significantly associated with PTSD symptom changes in Veterans with PTSD.

Conclusions:

• Participation in the Gerofit group exercise program was associated with self-reported improvements in PTSD symptoms among older Veterans.
• Social connectedness within the Gerofit program emerged as a significant factor associated with PTSD symptom reduction.
• The findings suggest that the social environment of group exercise programs like Gerofit may serve as a valuable, complementary resource for managing chronic PTSD in older Veterans, beyond physical health benefits.