Citation

MacGregor AJ, Perez KG, McCabe CT, Dougherty AL, Jurkick SM, Galarneau MR. MSMR 2021; 28(8): 10-13.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, U.S. Armed Forces Surveillance Center)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

34622716

Abstract

The post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in the most U.S. military casualties since Vietnam. Asymmetric warfare domi- nated the battlefield, commonly in the form of improvised explosive devices and other blast weaponry, which placed infantry and combat support personnel at risk of injury.2 As casualty numbers increased during these conflicts, so too did the survivability rate relative to pre- vious wars, most notably due to advances in personal protective equipment and field medical care.3 This led to a shift in resources towards long-term rehabili- tation of wounded service members to ameliorate physical and mental health sequelae.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is frequently reported among military personnel, particularly those with combat-related injury.5,6 Koren et al.5 hypothesized multiple etiologies for the relationship between combat-related injury and PTSD, including increased levels of perceived threat to life and peritraumatic dissociation (i.e., feeling emotionally numb or separated from a traumatic event) among injured relative to non-injured personnel. An increased incidence of PTSD is associated with physical problems and chronic health conditions after combat-related injury.7,8 Moreover, assessment of PTSD follow- ing combat-related injury is essential for planning appropriate treatment protocols and improving long-term well-being.

This report describes the prevalence of screening positive for PTSD and the association with injury severity and time since injury among U.S. military person- nel injured during combat operations...

Language: en