Browsing by Subject "posttraumatic stress disorder"

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    A factor analysis of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms using data pooled from two venlafaxine extended-release clinical trials.
    (Brain Behav, 2013-11) Stein, Dan J; Rothbaum, Barbara O; Baldwin, David S; Szumski, Annette; Pedersen, Ronald; Davidson, Jonathan RT
    BACKGROUND: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) (DSM-IV) three-factor posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnostic criteria was conducted to determine fit for this patient population. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of alternate symptom structures was planned to identify symptoms that cluster in this population. The response of symptom factors to treatment with venlafaxine extended release (ER) was explored. METHODS: Baseline 17-item Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-SX17) data were pooled from patients enrolled in two double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials. The CFA was conducted using maximum likelihood and weighted, least-squares factor extraction methods. The EFA was performed using a polychoric correlation covariance matrix and Pearson correlation matrix. RESULTS: Data from a pooled population of 685 patients (venlafaxine ER: n = 339; placebo: n = 346) were analyzed. CFA rejected the DSM-IV three-factor structure. The EFA identified a different three-factor structure as the best fit: factor 1 included reexperiencing symptoms, factor 2 included symptoms of altered mood and cognition, whereas factor 3 comprised avoidance and arousal symptoms. All DSM-IV symptom factors and all factors in the identified three-factor model responded positively to venlafaxine ER treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Data are consistent with literature failing to confirm the three-factor structure of DSM-IV PTSD, and they support the DSM-5 inclusion of a symptom cluster addressing altered mood and cognition in PTSD. The efficacy of venlafaxine ER in reducing a range of symptom clusters in PTSD is consistent with its multiple mechanisms of action.
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    Assessment of Moral Injury in Veterans and Active Duty Military Personnel With PTSD: A Review.
    (Frontiers in psychiatry, 2019-01) Koenig, Harold G; Youssef, Nagy A; Pearce, Michelle
    Background: Moral injury (MI) involves distress over having transgressed or violated core moral boundaries, accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame, self-condemnation, loss of trust, loss of meaning, and spiritual struggles. MI is often found in Veterans and Active Duty Military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). MI is widespread among those with PTSD symptoms, adversely affects mental health, and may increase risk of suicide; however, MI is often ignored and neglected by mental health professionals who focus their attention on PTSD only. Methods: A review of the literature between 1980 and 2018 conducted in 2018 is presented here to identify scales used to assess MI. Databases used in this review were PsychInfo, PubMed (Medline), and Google Scholar. Search terms were "moral injury," "measuring," "screening," "Veterans," and "Active Duty Military." Inclusion criteria were quantitative measurement of MI and health outcomes, Veteran or Active Duty Military status, and peer-review publication. Excluded were literature reviews, dissertations, book chapters, case reports, and qualitative studies. Results: Of the 730 studies identified, most did not meet eligibility criteria, leaving 118 full text articles that were reviewed, of which 42 did not meet eligibility criteria. Of the remaining 76 studies, 34 were duplicates leaving 42 studies, most published in 2013 or later. Of 22 studies that assessed MI, five used scales assessing multiple dimensions, and 17 assessed only one or two aspects (e.g., guilt, shame, or forgiveness). The remaining 20 studies used one of the scales reported in the first 22. Of the five scales assessing multiple dimensions of MI, two assess both morally injurious events and symptoms and the remaining three assess symptoms only. All studies were cross-sectional, except three that tested interventions. Conclusions: MI in the military setting is widespread and associated with PTSD symptom severity, anxiety, depression, and risk of suicide in current or former military personnel. Numerous measures exist to assess various dimensions of MI, including five multidimensional scales, although future research is needed to identify cutoff scores and clinically significant change scores. Three multidimensional measures assess MI symptoms alone (not events) and may be useful for determining if treatments directed at MI may both reduce symptoms and impact other mental health outcomes including PTSD.
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    Effects of chronic mild traumatic brain injury on white matter integrity in Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.
    (Human Brain Mapping, 2013-11) Morey, Rajendra A; Haswell, Courtney C; Selgrade, Elizabeth S; Massoglia, Dino; Liu, Chunlei; Weiner, Jonathan; Marx, Christine E; MIRECC Work Group; Cernak, Ibolja; McCarthy, Gregory
    Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common source of morbidity from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With no overt lesions on structural MRI, diagnosis of chronic mild TBI in military veterans relies on obtaining an accurate history and assessment of behavioral symptoms that are also associated with frequent comorbid disorders, particularly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Military veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan with mild TBI (n = 30) with comorbid PTSD and depression and non-TBI participants from primary (n = 42) and confirmatory (n = 28) control groups were assessed with high angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI). White matter-specific registration followed by whole-brain voxelwise analysis of crossing fibers provided separate partial volume fractions reflecting the integrity of primary fibers and secondary (crossing) fibers. Loss of white matter integrity in primary fibers (P < 0.05; corrected) was associated with chronic mild TBI in a widely distributed pattern of major fiber bundles and smaller peripheral tracts including the corpus callosum (genu, body, and splenium), forceps minor, forceps major, superior and posterior corona radiata, internal capsule, superior longitudinal fasciculus, and others. Distributed loss of white matter integrity correlated with duration of loss of consciousness and most notably with "feeling dazed or confused," but not diagnosis of PTSD or depressive symptoms. This widespread spatial extent of white matter damage has typically been reported in moderate to severe TBI. The diffuse loss of white matter integrity appears consistent with systemic mechanisms of damage shared by blast- and impact-related mild TBI that involves a cascade of inflammatory and neurochemical events.
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    Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters in Surrogate Decision Makers of Patients Experiencing Chronic Critical Illness.
    (Critical care explorations, 2022-03) Wendlandt, Blair; Ceppe, Agathe; Gaynes, Bradley N; Cox, Christopher E; Hanson, Laura C; Nelson, Judith E; Carson, Shannon S
    Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among surrogate decision makers of patients with chronic critical illness (CCI). PTSD symptoms can be categorized into clusters including intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal, each of which has been associated with distinct outcomes and treatment responses. Our objective was to determine which symptom cluster was predominant among surrogates of patients with CCI.

    Design

    Secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial of a communication intervention.

    Setting

    The original trial was conducted in medical intensive care units at three tertiary-care centers and one community hospital.

    Patients

    Patients with CCI (≥7 d of mechanical ventilation and not expected to die or to be weaned from the ventilator in the subsequent 72 hr) and their surrogates.

    Interventions

    None.

    Measurements and main results

    Surrogate PTSD symptoms were measured 90 days after onset of patient CCI using the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R). The IES-R includes a total score (range, 0-88, higher scores indicate severe symptoms) as well as three subscales that assess intrusion, avoidance, and hyperarousal (range of intrusion and avoidance scores 0-32 and range of hyperarousal score 0-24). Intrusion symptoms were most severe (mean score, 10.3; 95% CI, 9.3-11.2), followed by avoidance (mean score, 8.0; 95% CI, 7.2-8.8). Hyperarousal symptoms were lowest (mean score, 5.1; 95% CI, 4.5-5.7). In a multivariable linear regression model, we found that surrogates of patients who died had higher odds of intrusion (β, 5.52; p < 0.0001) and avoidance (β, 3.29; p = 0.001) symptoms than surrogates of patients who lived, even after adjusting for baseline symptoms of anxiety and depression. Patient death was not associated with hyperarousal symptoms.

    Conclusions

    Intrusive thoughts are the most severe PTSD symptom in surrogates of patients experiencing CCI, with intensified symptoms among surrogates of patients who died. These results have the potential to inform tailored treatment strategies to reduce PTSD symptoms in this population.
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    Shared genetic etiology underlying late-onset Alzheimer's disease and posttraumatic stress syndrome.
    (Alzheimers Dement, 2020-06-26) Lutz, Michael W; Luo, Sheng; Williamson, Douglas E; Chiba-Falek, Ornit
    INTRODUCTION: Late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) manifests comorbid neuropsychiatric symptoms and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk for dementia in late life, suggesting the two disorders may share genetic etiologies. METHODS: We performed genetic pleiotropy analysis using LOAD and PTSD genome-wide association study (GWAS) datasets from white and African-American populations, followed by functional-genomic analyses. RESULTS: We found an enrichment for LOAD across increasingly stringent levels of significance with the PTSD GWAS association (LOAD|PTSD) in the discovery and replication cohorts and a modest enrichment for the reverse conditional association (PTSD|LOAD). LOAD|PTSD association analysis identified and replicated the MS4A genes region. These genes showed similar expression pattern in brain regions affected in LOAD, and across-brain-tissue analysis identified a significant association for MS4A6A. The African-American samples showed moderate enrichment; however, no false discovery rate-significant associations. DISCUSSION: We demonstrated common genetic signatures for LOAD and PTSD and suggested immune response as a common pathway for these diseases.
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    The Warrior Wellness Study: A Randomized Controlled Exercise Trial for Older Veterans with PTSD.
    (Translational journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, 2018-03) Hall, Katherine S; Morey, Miriam C; Beckham, Jean C; Bosworth, Hayden B; Pebole, Michelle M; Pieper, Carl F; Sloane, Richard
    Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects up to 30% of military veterans. Older veterans, many of whom have lived with PTSD symptoms for several decades, report a number of negative health outcomes. Despite the demonstrated benefits of regular exercise on physical and psychological health, no studies have explored the impact of exercise in older veterans with PTSD. This paper describes the development, design, and implementation of the Warrior Wellness exercise pilot study for older veterans with PTSD. Veterans aged ≥60 with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) diagnosis of PTSD will be recruited and randomized to (a) Warrior Wellness, a 12-week supervised, facility-based exercise intervention, or (b) usual care for 12 weeks. Warrior Wellness is a theory- and evidence-based behavioral intervention that involves 3 sessions per week of multi-component exercise training that targets strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility. Warrior Wellness focuses on satisfaction with outcomes, self-efficacy, self-monitoring, and autonomy. Factors associated with program adherence, defined as the number of sessions attended during the 12 weeks, will be explored. Primary outcomes include PTSD symptoms and cardiovascular endurance, assessed at baseline and 12 weeks. Compared to those in usual care, it is hypothesized that those in the Warrior Wellness condition will improve on these efficacy outcomes. The Warrior Wellness study will provide evidence on whether a short-term exercise intervention is feasible, acceptable, and effective among older veterans with PTSD, and explore factors associated with program adherence. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02295995.