Regular Article/Psychological Consequences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and functional impairment among OEF and OIF National Guard and Reserve veterans†

  1. M. Tracie Shea1,*,
  2. Anka A. Vujanovic2,
  3. Abigail K. Mansfield3,
  4. Elizabeth Sevin3,
  5. Fengjuan Liu3

Article first published online: 1 FEB 2010

DOI: 10.1002/jts.20497

Issue

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Journal of Traumatic Stress

Special Issue: Psychological Consequences of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Volume 23, Issue 1, pages 100–107, February 2010

Additional Information

How to Cite

Shea, M. T., Vujanovic, A. A., Mansfield, A. K., Sevin, E. and Liu, F. (2010), Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and functional impairment among OEF and OIF National Guard and Reserve veterans. J. Traum. Stress, 23: 100–107. doi: 10.1002/jts.20497

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center and Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI

  2. 2

    Department of Veterans Affairs, Medical Center and Boston University, Boston, MA

  3. 3

    Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI

*Brown University, Box G-BH, Providence, RI 02906

  1. †

    This work was supported by a grant from the Department of Defense (W81XWH-06-1-0573). The authors express their appreciation to the participating soldiers, the leadership of the RI National Guard, and to Walter Musto, Julianne Voss, Lauren Slater, Melissa Platt, and Sarah Samways for their work on this study.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 18 FEB 2010
  2. Article first published online: 1 FEB 2010

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Abstract

The aims of the present investigation were (a) to examine associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; diagnosis and symptoms) and different aspects of functioning, severity, and subjective distress among Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom National Guard and Reserve veterans, and (b) to examine the unique contribution of PTSD symptom clusters to different aspects of functioning and distress. Participants were 124 veterans who had returned from war-zone deployment. A PTSD diagnosis and PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with nearly all of the psychosocial functioning and distress measures, controlling for Axis I disorders and other covariates. Of the PTSD symptom clusters, numbing/avoidance symptoms were the strongest predictors of interpersonal and social functioning, and hyperarousal symptoms were the strongest predictors of overall severity and distress.

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