Risk and protective factors associated with comorbid PTSD and depression in U.S. military veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Publication date: Available online 15 November 2019Source: Journal of Psychiatric ResearchAuthor(s): Brandon Nichter, Moira Haller, Sonya Norman, Robert H. PietrzakAbstractConverging evidence suggests that veterans with co-occurring PTSD/MDD represent a high-risk group for poor mental health compared to those with PTSD alone. To date, however, little is known about the specific factors that may increase vulnerability for and help buffer risk for comorbid PTSD/MDD. The purpose of this study was to provide a population-based characterization of sociodemographic, risk, and protective variables associated with comorbid PTSD/MDD among U.S. military veterans. Data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative survey of U.S. military veterans (n = 2,732). Analyses compared veterans with PTSD alone and co-occurring PTSD/MDD on sociodemographic, military, and psychosocial characteristics; and examined variables independently associated with PTSD/MDD status. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that racial/ethnic minority status (odds ratio [OR] = 12.5), number of lifetime traumas (OR = 1.3), and time spent engaged in private religious/spiritual activities (OR = 1.8) were associated with PTSD/MDD status, while higher scores on measures of community integration (OR = 0.6) and dispositional optimism (OR = 0.7) were negatively associated with comorbid PTSD/MDD status. Relative importance analyses...
Source: Journal of Psychiatric Research - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research