Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 7;14(6):485.
doi: 10.3390/bs14060485.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: A Concept Analysis

Tormechi Chambliss  1 , Jung-Lung Hsu  2 , Mei-Lan Chen  1
Affiliations

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans: A Concept Analysis

Tormechi Chambliss et al. Behav Sci (Basel). .

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs when an individual experiences a traumatic event that exceeds the limits of psychological endurance. Many veterans experience PTSD. PTSD can negatively impact veterans' quality of life, functioning, life satisfaction, and overall well-being. It is important to analyze the concept of PTSD in the veteran population. This concept analysis aimed to investigate the defining attributes, a model case, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents related to the concept of PTSD among veterans. Walker and Avant's method was used to guide this concept analysis of PTSD. The results showed that three attributes were determined from the analysis: intrusive memories of traumatic events, feelings of isolation and estrangement, and negative cognitions. PTSD is conceptualized as a collection of symptoms that arise from highly traumatic experiences. The military environment predisposes veterans to traumatic events that should be identified or acknowledged. A better understanding of the concept of PTSD can facilitate the development of effective interventions for the veteran population and enhance their mental health.

Keywords: DSM-5; PTSD; antecedents; concept analysis; defining attributes; empirical referents; post-traumatic stress disorder; trauma; veterans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Cheng P., Xu L.-Z., Zheng W.-H., Ng R.M.K., Zhang L., Li L.-J., Li W.-H. Psychometric property study of the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) in Chinese healthcare workers during the outbreak of corona virus disease 2019. J. Affect. Disord. 2020;277:368–374. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.038. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Reisman M. PTSD Treatment for Veterans: What’s Working, What’s New, and What’s Next. Pharm. Ther. 2016;41:623–634. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Guina J., Welton R.S., Broderick P.J., Correll T.L., Peirson R.P. DSM-5 Criteria and Its Implications for Diagnosing PTSD in Military Service Members and Veterans. Curr. Psychiatry Rep. 2016;18:43. doi: 10.1007/s11920-016-0686-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. von Stockert S.H.H., Fried E.I., Armour C., Pietrzak R.H. Evaluating the stability of DSM-5 PTSD symptom network structure in a national sample of U.S. military veterans. J. Affect. Disord. 2018;229:63–68. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2017.12.043. - DOI - PubMed
    1. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD History and Overview. [(accessed on 12 December 2023)]; Available online: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/essentials/history_ptsd.asp#one.

LinkOut - more resources