An Integrative Review of Behavioral Disturbances in Veterans With Dementia and PTSD

Abstract

Objective: Both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dementia have been associated with a variety of behavioral changes; however, little is known about the behavioral consequences of comorbid PTSD and dementia. An integrative review was conducted to identify and examine studies reporting on behavioral disturbances in Veterans with PTSD and dementia.

Methods: PubMed and PsychINFO databases were searched for articles on behavioral disturbances in Veterans with comorbid PTSD and dementia.

Results: Seven studies met inclusion for this review, sampling a total of 822 Veterans. Preliminary findings suggest that though Veterans with dementia and comorbid PTSD may present with more difficult behavioral symptoms, they do not typically display increased levels of aggression.

Conclusion: Given the limited study inventory, the key finding from this review highlights the lack of methodologically rigorous empirical studies on this topic. A research agenda is proposed to encourage future studies to address gaps in the literature.

Keywords: aggression; behavioral disturbance; caregiver burden; posttraumatic stress disorder; sleep/wake disturbance; veteran.