Combat Veteran

Blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (BR mTBI) is a critical research area in recent combat veterans due to increased prevalence of survived blasts. Post-BR mTBI outcomes are highly heterogeneous and defining neurological differences may help in discrimination and prediction of cognitive outcomes. This study investigates whether white matter integrity, measured with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), could influence how remote BR mTBI history is associated with executive control. The sample included 151 Veterans from the Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center who were administered a clinical/TBI assessment, neuropsychological battery, and DTI scan as part of a larger battery...

INTRODUCTION: Recent research and policy (e.g., the Sergeant First Class (SFC) Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act) have highlighted the potential health consequences of toxic environmental exposures. The purpose of the current study was to assess the self-reported prevalence of such exposures among a sample of U.S. military veterans seeking care at a Veterans Affairs facility and to examine associations between exposures and physical and psychiatric symptoms...

OBJECTIVE: Research on the association between posttraumatic embitterment disorder (PTED) and other psychopathologies in veterans and adults aged ≥65 years is lacking. This study aimed to assess embitterment among elderly war veterans and its association with major psychopathological factors. METHODS: Participants included Vietnam War veterans who visited a psychiatric clinic. Based on the Posttraumatic Embitterment Disorder Self-Rating Scale (PTEDS) score, the participants were divided into the embitterment (PTED(+), mean score of PTEDS items [mPTEDS] ≥1...

Grim national statistics about the U.S. opioid crisis are increasingly well known to the American public. Far less well known is that U.S. servicemembers are at ground zero of the epidemic, with veterans facing an overdose death rate of up to twice that of civilians. Exploiting a quasi-experiment in overseas deployment assignment, this study estimates the causal impact of combat exposure among the deployed in the Global War on Terrorism on opioid abuse. We find that exposure to war theater substantially increased the risk of prescription painkiller abuse and illicit heroin use among active duty servicemen...

Evidence now suggests that traumatic-stress impacts brain functions even in the absence of acute-onset post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. These neurophysiological changes have also been suggested to account for increased risks of PTSD symptoms later developing in the aftermath of subsequent trauma. However, surprisingly few studies have explicitly examined brain function dynamics in high-risk populations, such as combat exposed military personnel without diagnosable PTSD. To extend available research, facial expression sensitive N170 event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes were examined in a clinically healthy sample of active service military personnel with recurrent combat exposure history...

INTRODUCTION: MRI represents one of the clinical tools at the forefront of research efforts aimed at identifying diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Both volumetric and diffusion MRI findings in mild TBI (mTBI) are mixed, making the findings difficult to interpret. As such, additional research is needed to continue to elucidate the relationship between the clinical features of mTBI and quantitative MRI measurements. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Volumetric and diffusion imaging data in a sample of 976 veterans and service members from the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium and now the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium observational study of the late effects of mTBI in combat with and without a history of mTBI were examined...

OBJECTIVES: Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) are possible reactions to exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs) during military service. However, knowledge about patterns of both PTSS and PTG among female combat veterans is sparse. This study examines constellations of PTSS and PTG among Israeli female combat veterans, as well as military-related exposure and positive psychological correlates of these constellations. METHODS: A volunteer sample of Israeli women combat veterans (n = 885) responded to self-report questionnaires in a cross-sectional design study...

BACKGROUND: Military sexual trauma (MST) and moral injury (MI) are associated with adverse psychiatric and health outcomes among military veterans. However, no known population-based studies have examined the incremental burden associated with the co-occurrence of these experiences relative to either alone. METHOD: Cross-sectional data were analyzed from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative sample of 1330 U.S. combat veterans...

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most widespread and disabling psychiatric disorders among combat veterans. Substantial interindividual variability in susceptibility to PTSD suggests the presence of different risk factors for this disorder. Twin and family studies confirm genetic factors as important risk factors for PTSD. In addition to genetic factors, epigenetic factors, especially DNA methylation, can be considered as a potential mechanism in changing the risk of PTSD. So far, many genetic and epigenetic association studies have been conducted in relation to PTSD...

INTRODUCTION: Active-duty servicewomen and veterans make up nearly 20% of the United States military and may experience trauma specific to military service. Military-specific trauma includes combat deployment and military sexual trauma, exposure to which may result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the extent to which military trauma exposures impact the pregnancy outcomes of active-duty servicewomen and women veterans. METHODS: A systematic search of OVID MEDLINE, OVID Embase, and OVID PsycINFO from inception to September 25, 2023, identified studies examining associations between military trauma exposures and perinatal outcomes...

IMPORTANCE: Current interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are efficacious, yet effectiveness may be limited by adverse effects and high withdrawal rates. Acupuncture is an emerging intervention with positive preliminary data for PTSD. OBJECTIVE: To compare verum acupuncture with sham acupuncture (minimal needling) on clinical and physiological outcomes. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This was a 2-arm, parallel-group, prospective blinded randomized clinical trial hypothesizing superiority of verum to sham acupuncture...

OBJECTIVE: The US National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria established a goal to decrease unnecessary outpatient antibiotic use by 50%. However, data to inform this goal have been limited to medical settings and have not included dental prescribing. Thus, we sought to identify the proportion of antibiotics prescribed inappropriately by dentists to inform outpatient stewardship efforts. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 2019 Veterans' Affairs (VA) national electronic health record data...

BACKGROUND: Soldiers in military service are at risk of exposure to traumatic and stressful experiences, which can lead to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms of depression. In the context of veterans' PTSD and depression, social support has been shown to be a very significant resource. However, while general depression has been examined among veterans and although combat soldiers are often men, male depression has been rarely examined. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the relationships between social support, PTSD symptoms, and male depression among veterans...

Expressive flexibility (EF) is a component of emotion regulation flexibility repertoire that constitutes the ability to enhance or suppress the expression of emotion in accordance with a given situational context. Previous research has associated EF with healthy adjustment to adversity. This association has also been observed in combat veterans with elevated post-traumatic stress. EF and other elements of regulatory flexibility are believed to rely on functions of cognitive control, such as working memory. However, previous research has yet to investigate this link...

INTRODUCTION: The concealment of suicidal ideation (SI) constitutes a significant barrier to reducing veteran deaths by suicide and is associated with fear of negative consequences (e.g., involuntary hospitalization). This study examined whether augmenting informed consent with psychoeducation aimed to help patients achieve a more realistic risk appraisal of consequences associated with disclosure of SI, decreased hesitancy to disclose SI, and related risk behaviors among U.S. veterans...

More than 75% of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are mild (mTBI) and military service members often experience repeated combat-related mTBI. The chronic comorbidities concomitant with repetitive mTBI (rmTBI) include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or neurological dysfunction. This study sought to determine a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression signature in serum samples that correlated with rmTBI years after the incidences. Serum samples were obtained from Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain-Injury Consortium Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (LIMBIC CENC) repository, from participants unexposed to TBI or who had rmTBI...

OBJECTIVES: Veteran homelessness has declined in the past decade, but the proportion of unsheltered homeless veterans has increased. We identified characteristics of unsheltered homelessness in a large contemporary veteran cohort and examined outpatient and inpatient encounters before and after intake to US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) homeless programs. METHODS: National data from the Homeless Operations Management Evaluation System (HOMES) database and the Corporate Data Warehouse were analyzed on 191 204 veterans experiencing housing instability from January 2018 through December 2021...

Animal models suggest that experiencing high-stress levels induces changes in amygdalar circuitry and gene expression. In humans, combat exposure has been shown to alter amygdalar responsivity and connectivity, but abnormalities have been indicated to normalize at least partially upon the termination of stress exposure. In contrast, other evidence suggests that combat exposure continues to exert influence on exposed individuals well beyond deployment and homecoming, as indicated by longitudinal psychosocial evidence from veterans, and observation of greater health decline in veterans late in life...

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of chronic pain of service members (SMs) in the U.S. is estimated to be higher (roughly 31-44%) compared to that of civilian population (26%). This higher prevalence is likely due to the high physical demands related combat and training injuries that are not immediately resolved and worsen over time. Mental Health America reports that chronic pain can lead to other mental health conditions such as severe anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder...

BACKGROUND: The complex neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) calls for the characterization of specific disruptions in brain functions that require targeted treatment. One such alteration could be an overactive locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system, which may be linked to hyperarousal symptoms, a characteristic and burdensome aspect of the disorder. METHODS: Study participants were Canadian Armed Forces veterans with PTSD related to deployment to combat zones (n=34) and age-and-sex matched healthy controls (n=32)...