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. 2018 Jan;54(1):e1-e9.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2017.09.008.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder by Gender and Veteran Status

Keren Lehavot  1 , Jodie G Katon  2 , Jessica A Chen  2 , John C Fortney  3 , Tracy L Simpson  4
Affiliations

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder by Gender and Veteran Status

Keren Lehavot et al. Am J Prev Med. 2018 Jan.

Erratum in

  • Correction.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Am J Prev Med. 2019 Oct;57(4):573. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.08.008. Am J Prev Med. 2019. PMID: 31542138 No abstract available.

Abstract

Introduction: Population-based data on the prevalence, correlates, and treatment utilization of post-traumatic stress disorder by gender and veteran status are limited. With changes in post-traumatic stress disorder diagnostic criteria in 2013, current information from a uniform data source is needed.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III, which consisted of in-person interviews that were conducted with a representative sample of U.S. adults. The Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule-DSM-5 Version was used to assess past-year and lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans (n=3,119) and civilians (n=32,982). Data were analyzed from January to March 2017.

Results: Adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, women veterans reported the highest rates of lifetime and past-year post-traumatic stress disorder (13.4%, 95% CI=8.8%, 17.9%, and 11.7%, 95% CI=7.1%, 16.4%) compared with women civilians (8.0%, 95% CI=7.4%, 8.6%, and 6.0%, 95% CI=5.5%, 6.6%); men veterans (7.7%, 95% CI=6.5%, 8.8%, and 6.7%, 95% CI=5.7%, 7.8%); and men civilians (3.4%, 95% CI=3.0%, 3.9%, and 2.6%, 95% CI=2.2%, 2.9%). Traumatic event exposure, correlates of lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder, and treatment seeking varied across subgroups. Men and women veterans were more likely than civilians to use a variety of treatment sources, with men civilians being least likely to seek treatment and men veterans exhibiting the longest delay in seeking treatment.

Conclusions: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common mental health disorder that varies by gender and veteran status. Women veterans' high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder highlight a critical target for prevention and intervention, whereas understanding treatment barriers for men veterans and civilians is necessary.

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Conflict of interest statement

No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Prevalence of traumatic event types by gender and veteran status.
Note: Percents (%) are weighted and indicated either above or below each bar. The numbers along the x-axis represent the relevant sample size (the numerator). The denominator for reporting “ever” experiencing the trauma type is n=379 women veterans, n=20,007 women civilians, n=2,740 men veterans, and n=12,975 men civilians. The denominator for reporting a trauma type as the “worst” is the number of people reporting “ever” experiencing the trauma (i.e., the numerator reported above for each group).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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