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. 2014 Aug;23(8):921-7.
doi: 10.1002/pon.3494. Epub 2014 Feb 11.

Cancer-related PTSD symptoms in a veteran sample: association with age, combat PTSD, and quality of life

Jennifer Schuster Wachen  1 , Seema M Patidar, Elizabeth A Mulligan, Aanand D Naik, Jennifer Moye
Affiliations

Cancer-related PTSD symptoms in a veteran sample: association with age, combat PTSD, and quality of life

Jennifer Schuster Wachen et al. Psychooncology. 2014 Aug.

Abstract

Objective: The diagnosis and treatment of cancer is a potentially traumatic experience that may evoke posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) among survivors. This paper describes the rates of endorsement of cancer-related PTSS along with the relationship of demographic, cancer, and combat variables on PTSS and quality of life.

Methods: Veterans (N = 166) with head and neck, esophageal, gastric, or colorectal cancers were recruited through tumor registries at two regional Veterans Administration Medical Centers. Standardized scales were used to assess self-report of PTSS, combat, and quality of life.

Results: Most participants (86%) reported experiencing at least some cancer-related PTSS; 10% scored above a clinical cutoff for probable PTSD. In linear regressions, younger age and current combat PTSS were associated with cancer-related PTSS, whereas disease and treatment characteristics were not; in turn, cancer-related PTSS were negatively associated with physical and social quality of life.

Conclusions: Individual characteristics and psychosocial factors may play a larger role than disease-related variables in determining how an individual responds to the stress of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Given the rates of reported cancer-related PTSS in this sample, and other non-veteran samples, clinicians should consider screening these following diagnosis and treatment, particularly in younger adults and those with previous trauma histories.

Keywords: cancer; functioning; oncology; posttraumatic stress symptoms; quality of life; trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest relating to this study or this manuscript. This manuscript has not been published elsewhere and has not been submitted simultaneously for publication elsewhere.

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