Citation

Etchin AG, Fonda JR, Howard EP, Fortier CB, Milberg WP, Pounds K, McGlinchey RE. Nurs. Outlook 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.outlook.2021.10.008

PMID

34895737

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Post-9/11 veterans exhibit high prevalence of deployment stress, psychological conditions, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) which impact reintegration, especially among those with a history of interpersonal early life trauma (I-ELT). The relative importance of each risk factor is unclear.

PURPOSE: We examined major deployment and clinical exposures of reintegration challenges among veterans with and without I-ELT.

METHOD: We analyzed cross-sectional data of 155 post-9/11 veterans from the Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders study.

FINDINGS: Depression severity had the strongest association with reintegration challenges, followed by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity, post-deployment stress, and deployment safety concerns. Deployment safety concerns had a stronger, significant association among veterans with I-ELT. In nearly every model, PTSD and depression severities were weaker for veterans with I-ELT, compared to those without.

DISCUSSION: Clinicians should consider the relative risk of concurrent clinical conditions and trauma histories when considering veterans' reintegration needs.

Language: en

Keywords

Resilience; Deployment; Childhood trauma; Reintegration; Veterans