No way out: entrapment as a moderator of suicide ideation among military personnel – Shelef L, Levi-Belz Y, Fruchter E, Santo Y, Dahan E. This study sought to examine the psychological mechanisms relating to entrapment, stress, and psychological protective factors facilitating suicide ideation among … (Source: SafetyLit)
Preparing soldiers for the stress of combat.
Preparing soldiers for the stress of combat.
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Preparing soldiers for the stress of combat.
J Spec Oper Med. 2012;12(2):33-41
Authors: Flanagan SC, Kotwal RS, Forsten RD
Abstract
UNLABELLED: Protracted use of stressors during military training courses does not necessarily enhance a Soldier?s ability to regulate stress on the battlefield. Extensive stress during training can be a contributing factor to suboptimal neurologic and overall long-term health. Prolonged high-stress military training programs, as well as extended duration combat deployments, should be comprehensively scrutinized for opportunities to preserve health and increase combat effectiveness. Contemporary research in neuroscience and psychology can provide insight into training techniques that can be used to control stress and optimize performance in combat. Physical fitness training programs can elevate the stress threshold. Extensive situational training can also inoculate Soldiers to specific combat stressors. Training methods such as these will enable Soldiers to achieve higher levels of performance while under enemy fire and are encouraged for units deploying to combat.
KEYWORDS: combat stress, military training, military deployment, physical training, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep deprivation, stress inoculation training.
PMID: 22707023 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
State Policies on Service Dogs for Military Veterans.
State Policies on Service Dogs for Military Veterans.
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State Policies on Service Dogs for Military Veterans.
NCSL Legisbrief. 2015 Dec;23(47):1-2
Authors: Reed JB
Abstract
U.S. service members returning home from combat often face physical, mental and emotional challenges. Providing service dogs to these veterans is one method being used successfully to help address the difficulties they face. Under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is defined as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability.” The work the dog undertakes must be directly related to the person’s disability. Examples include guiding people who are blind, pulling a wheelchair, alerting a person with hearing loss, protecting a person having a seizure, and calming someone with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack or psychiatric episode.
PMID: 27032124 [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
Neuroanatomical features in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Neuroanatomical features in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Neuroanatomical features in soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.
BMC Neurosci. 2016;17(1):13
Authors: Sussman D, Pang EW, Jetly R, Dunkley BT, Taylor MJ
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to psychological trauma, impacts up to 20 % of soldiers returning from combat-related deployment. Advanced neuroimaging holds diagnostic and prognostic potential for furthering our understanding of its etiology. Previous imaging studies on combat-related PTSD have focused on selected structures, such as the hippocampi and cortex, but none conducted a comprehensive examination of both the cerebrum and cerebellum. The present study provides a complete analysis of cortical, subcortical, and cerebellar anatomy in a single cohort. Forty-seven magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were collected from 24 soldiers with PTSD and 23 Control soldiers. Each image was segmented into 78 cortical brain regions and 81,924 vertices using the corticometric iterative vertex based estimation of thickness algorithm, allowing for both a region-based and a vertex-based cortical analysis, respectively. Subcortical volumetric analyses of the hippocampi, cerebellum, thalamus, globus pallidus, caudate, putamen, and many sub-regions were conducted following their segmentation using Multiple Automatically Generated Templates Brain algorithm.
RESULTS: Participants with PTSD were found to have reduced cortical thickness, primarily in the frontal and temporal lobes, with no preference for laterality. The region-based analyses further revealed localized thinning as well as thickening in several sub-regions. These results were accompanied by decreased volumes of the caudate and right hippocampus, as computed relative to total cerebral volume. Enlargement in several cerebellar lobules (relative to total cerebellar volume) was also observed in the PTSD group.
CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight the distributed structural differences between soldiers with and without PTSD, and emphasize the diagnostic potential of high-resolution MRI.
PMID: 27029195 [PubMed – in process]
Neuropsychiatric Predictors of Post-Injury Headache After Mild-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury in Veterans.
Neuropsychiatric Predictors of Post-Injury Headache After Mild-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury in Veterans.
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Neuropsychiatric Predictors of Post-Injury Headache After Mild-Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury in Veterans.
Headache. 2016 Apr;56(4):699-710
Authors: Bomyea J, Lang AJ, Delano-Wood L, Jak A, Hanson KL, Sorg S, Clark AL, Schiehser DM
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To determine differences in neuropsychiatric complaints between Veterans with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI), with and without headache, compared with Veteran controls, and to identify neuropsychiatric predictors of headache severity.
BACKGROUND: Mild to moderate TBI is a common occurrence in Veterans, and is frequently associated with complaints of headache. Neuropsychiatric complaints are also common among individuals who have sustained head injury, although the relationship between these factors and headache after injury is unclear. Research is needed to comprehensively determine differences between individuals with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury who differ with respect to headache, and which injury, psychological, or sleep and fatigue factors predict headache severity.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study compared 85 Veterans in three groups (positive for TBI and headache, positive for TBI without significant headache, and a control group) on a set of injury characteristics and neuropsychiatric variables. Correlates of headache severity were examined, and a regression model was used to identify significant independent predictors of headache severity.
RESULTS: Individuals with mild to moderate TBI and headache endorsed significantly greater neuropsychiatric symptoms than participants in the other groups (ηp (2) = .23-.36) Neuropsychiatric complaints, as well as presence of posttraumatic amnesia, were correlated with headache in the subsample with TBI (rs = .44-.57). When entering all predictors into a regression model, only fatigue represented a significant independent predictor of headache severity (β = .59, R(2) = .35).
CONCLUSIONS: Rather than being a global risk factor, mild to moderate TBI was associated with poorer mental health outcomes, particularly for those who endorse headache. Findings underscore the possibility that Veterans with history of TBI who present with complaints of headache may represent a particularly vulnerable subgroup. Additionally, our findings suggest that clinical outcomes may be improved in those with neurotrauma by incorporating a focus on fatigue in treatment.
PMID: 27028095 [PubMed – in process]
Role of Pre-Morbid Factors and Exposure to Blast Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Post-Traumatic Stress in United States Military Personnel.
Role of Pre-Morbid Factors and Exposure to Blast Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Post-Traumatic Stress in United States Military Personnel.
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Role of Pre-Morbid Factors and Exposure to Blast Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Post-Traumatic Stress in United States Military Personnel.
J Neurotrauma. 2016 Mar 30;
Authors: Manners JL, Forsten RD, Kotwal RS, Elbin RJ, Collins MW, Kontos AP
Abstract
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the signature injury of the recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a prevalent and potentially debilitating condition that is associated with symptoms of post-traumatic stress/post-traumatic stress disorder (PTS/PTSD). Prior mTBI, severity and type of injury (blast vs. non-blast), and baseline psychiatric illness are thought to impact mTBI outcomes. It is unclear if the severity of pre-morbid PTS/PTSD is a risk factor of post-injury levels of PTS and mTBI symptoms. The objective of the study was to examine predictors of post-injury PTS/PTSD, including pre-morbid PTS symptoms, and physical and cognitive symptoms in the sub-acute phase (1 week-3 months) following an acute mTBI. A retrospective review of medical records was performed of 276 servicemen assigned to the United States Army Special Operations Command referred for mTBI evaluation between December 2009 and March 2011. Post-Concussion Symptom Scale and PTSD Checklist scores were captured pre- and post-injury. A total of 276 records were reviewed. Pre-morbid and post-injury data were available for 91% (251/276). Of the 54% (136/251) of personnel with mTBI, 29% (39/136) had positive radiology findings and 11% (15/136) met criteria for clinical PTS symptoms at baseline. Logistic regression analysis found baseline PTS symptoms predicted personnel who met clinical levels of PTSD. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that baseline PTS (p = 0.001), baseline mTBI symptoms (p = 0.001), and positive radiology (magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography) findings for complicated mTBI (p = 0.02) accurately identified personnel with clinical levels of PTSD following mTBI. Years of military service, combat deployment status, age, and injury mechanism (blast vs. non-blast) were not associated with increased risk of PTS following mTBI. Pre-morbid PTS symptoms are associated with an increased risk for clinical levels of PTS following a subsequent mTBI. Symptom severity and positive radiologic findings may amplify this risk. At-risk personnel may benefit from early identification and intervention.
PMID: 27027526 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Relationship Functioning in Vietnam Veteran Couples: The Roles of PTSD and Anger.
Relationship Functioning in Vietnam Veteran Couples: The Roles of PTSD and Anger.
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Relationship Functioning in Vietnam Veteran Couples: The Roles of PTSD and Anger.
J Clin Psychol. 2016 Apr 20;
Authors: Roberge EM, Allen NJ, Taylor JW, Bryan CJ
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anger have been implicated separately in relationship dysfunction for veterans; however, no studies have simultaneously examined the roles of each of these constructs.
METHOD: This study examined the roles of PTSD and anger in the relationships of Vietnam veterans and their partners (n = 33 couples) with actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIM). Couples in which the veteran was diagnosed with PTSD (PTSD-positive; n = 20) were compared to couples in which the veteran did not have PTSD (PTSD-negative; n = 13) on measures of frequency of anger and relationship functioning.
RESULTS: PTSD-positive and PTSD-negative couples reported similar levels of relationship functioning, yet PTSD-positive veterans reported experiencing anger significantly more often than PTSD-negative veterans. Across groups, anger was predictive of relationship functioning, but PTSD severity was not.
CONCLUSIONS: Trait anger may have a more deleterious effect on relationship functioning than PTSD symptoms. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
PMID: 27096356 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]
Sleep disturbances in veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD.
Sleep disturbances in veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD.
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Sleep disturbances in veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD.
J Inj Violence Res. 2016 Apr 19;8(2)
Authors: Khazaie H, Ghadami MR, Masoudi M
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder is related to a wide range of medical problems, with a majority of neurological, psychological, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes, as well as sleep disorders. Although the majority of studies reveal the association between PTSD and sleep disturbances, there are few studies on the assessment of sleep disruption among veterans with PTSD. In this article, we attempt to study the sleep disorders including insomnia, nightmare, sleep-related breathing disorders, sleep-related movement disorders and parasomnias among veterans with chronic war-induced PTSD. It is an important area for further research among veterans with PTSD.
PMID: 27093088 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]