Longitudinal Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms and Physical Symptoms in Military Veterans

This study aimed to assess the temporal relationship of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and physical symptoms in a non–treatment-seeking deployed military sample. Methods Data were from a longitudinal study of Australian Defence Force personnel deployed to the Middle East Area of Operations between 2010 and 2012 (n = 1871). Predeployment assessment was conducted 4 months before deployment (T1). Of these, 1324 (70.8% retention rate) participated in assessment within 4 months after deployment (T2), and 1122 (60.0%) completed the third time point at 4 years after deployment (T3). PTSD symptoms were assessed with the posttraumatic stress checklist and physical symptoms with a 67-item self-report Health Symptom Checklist. To explore directional influences between symptoms over time, longitudinal cross-lagged association between the modeled latent factors for PTSD symptoms and physical symptoms was estimated using structural equation modeling. Results From T1 to T2, there was a significant bidirectional effect with higher physical symptom count at T1 predicting higher PTSD symptom severity at T2 (β = 0.17, p
Source: Psychosomatic Medicine - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLES Source Type: research