"You can't un-ring the bell": a mixed methods approach to understanding veteran and family perspectives of recovery from military-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

BACKGROUND: Military-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex diagnosis with non-linear trajectories of coping and recovery. Current approaches to the evaluation of PTSD and treatment discontinuation often rely on biomedical models that dichotomize recovery based on symptom thresholds. This approach may not sufficiently capture the complex lived experiences of Veterans and their families. To explore conceptualizations of recovery, we sought perspectives from Veterans and their partners in a pilot study to understand: 1) how Veterans nearing completion of treatment for military-related PTSD and their partners view recovery; and 2) the experience of progressing through treatment towards recovery. METHODS: We employed a concurrent mixed methods design. Nine Veterans nearing the end of their treatment at a specialized outpatient mental health clinic completed quantitative self-report tools assessing PTSD and depressive symptom severity, and an individual, semi-structured interview assessing views on their treatment and recovery processes. Veterans' partners participated in a separate interview to capture views of their partners' treatment and recovery processes. Descriptive analyses of self-report symptom severity data were interpreted alongside emergent themes arising from inductive content analysis of qualitative interviews. RESULTS: While over half of Veterans were considered "recovered" based on quantitative assessments of symptoms, individual reflections of "recovery" were not always aligned with these quantitative assessments. A persistent narrative highlighted by participants was that recovery from military-related PTSD was not viewed as a binary outcome (i.e., recovered vs. not recovered); rather, recovery was seen as a dynamic, non-linear process. Key components of the recovery process identified by participants included a positive therapeutic relationship, social support networks, and a toolkit of adaptive strategies to address PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: For participants in our study, recovery was seen as the ability to navigate ongoing issues of symptom management, re-engagement with meaningful roles and social networks, and a readiness for discontinuing intensive, specialized mental health treatment. The findings of this study highlight important considerations in balancing the practical utility of symptom severity assessments with a better understanding of the treatment discontinuation-related needs of Veterans with military-related PTSD and their families, which align with a contemporary biopsychosocial approach to recovery.

The influence of depression-PTSD comorbidity on health-related quality of life in treatment-seeking veterans.

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression substantially impair health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for many Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) veterans. Although PTSD and depression are highly comorbid, little is known about whether the disorders may interact in their association with HRQOL. We sought to investigate whether depressive symptoms modify the relation between PTSD and HRQOL in treatment-seeking veterans. METHOD: We accessed the clinical data of 545 CAF veterans aged 18 to 65 years who were seeking treatment at a specialized clinic in London, Ontario. We used hierarchical linear regression to assess the additive and multiplicative relations between depression and PTSD symptoms on HRQOL, controlling for age and alcohol/substance abuse. Simple slopes were examined to probe significant interactions. RESULTS: Probable PTSD and major depression were present in 77.4% and 85.3% of the sample, respectively, and 73.0% of the sample presented with probable PTSD-depression comorbidity. Depression symptoms significantly modified the relation between PTSD symptoms and overall mental HRQOL (ß = 0.12, p <0.001, ∆R2  = 0.014), and role impairment due to emotional difficulties (ß = 0.20, p <0.001, ∆R2  = 0.035). Simple slope analyses revealed the impact of PTSD was greater among those with lower depression symptoms and became weaker with greater depression symptom severity. In adjusted models, only depression was significantly associated with all mental and physical HRQOL domains; PTSD was not associated with physical HRQOL, role emotional impairment, or vitality. CONCLUSIONS: For those with severe comorbid depression, PTSD symptoms were no longer associated with mental HRQOL, particularly in areas related to emotional functioning. Findings suggest the importance of targeting depression in patients presenting with PTSD-depression comorbidity.

Objetivo: El trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) y la depresión afectan sustancialmente la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS) para muchos veteranos de las Fuerzas Armadas de Canadá (CAF). Aunque TEPT y depresión son altamente comórbidos, poco se sabe acerca de si los trastornos pueden interactuar en su asociación con la CVRS. Quisimos investigar si los síntomas depresivos modifican la relación entre el TEPT y la CVRS en los veteranos que buscan tratamiento.Método: Accedimos a los datos clínicos de 545 veteranos de CAF de 18 a 65 años que buscaban tratamiento en una clínica especializada en London, Ontario. Utilizamos regresión lineal jerárquica para evaluar las relaciones aditivas y multiplicativas entre depresión y síntomas de TEPT en la CVRS, controlando por edad y abuso de alcohol/sustancias. Las pendientes simples se examinaron para investigar interacciones significativas.Resultados: TEPT probable y depresión mayor estaban presentes en el 77.4% y el 85.3% de la muestra, respectivamente, y el 73.0% de la muestra presentaba comorbilidad probable TEPT-depresión. Los síntomas de depresión modificaron significativamente la relación entre los síntomas de TEPT y la CVRS mental general (ß = 0.12, p <0.001, ∆R2 = 0.014), y el deterioro de rol debido a dificultades emocionales (ß = 0.20, p <0.001, ∆R2 = 0.035). Los análisis de pendiente simple revelaron que el impacto del TEPT fue mayor entre aquellos con síntomas de depresión más bajos y se debilitaron con una mayor gravedad de los síntomas de depresión. En los modelos ajustados, solo la depresión se asoció significativamente con todos los dominios de CVRS mental y física; El TEPT no se asoció con la CVRS física, deterioro emocional de rol o la vitalidad.Conclusiones: Para aquellos con depresión comórbida severa, los síntomas de TEPT ya no se asociaban con la CVRS mental, particularmente en áreas relacionadas con el funcionamiento emocional. Los hallazgos sugieren la importancia de enfocarse en la depresión en pacientes que presentan comorbilidad de TEPT-depresión.

Sexual Dysfunction in Male Canadian Armed Forces Members and Veterans Seeking Mental Health Treatment.

INTRODUCTION: There is mixed evidence regarding how posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom clusters are associated with sexual dysfunction (SD), and most studies to date have failed to account for potentially confounding variables. Our study sought to explore the unique contribution of PTSD symptom clusters on (a) lack of sexual desire or pleasure, and (b) pain or problems during sexual intercourse, after adjusting for comorbidities and medication usage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants included 543 male treatment-seeking veterans and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel (aged <65 years), referred for treatment between September 2006 and September 2014. Each participant completed self-report measures of demographic variables, depressive symptom severity, chronic pain, alcohol misuse, and psychotropic medication usage as part of a standard clinical intake protocol. Hierarchical ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to determine the incremental contribution of PTSD symptom clusters on sexual dysfunction. RESULTS: Nearly three-quarters (71.5%) of participants reported a lack of sexual desire or pleasure and 40.0% reported pain or problems during intercourse. Regression analyses suggested that avoidant/numbing symptoms were the only symptoms to be independently associated with lacking sexual desire or pleasure (AOR = 1.10; 95% CI 1.05-1.15). None of the PTSD symptom clusters were independently associated with pain or problems during intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual dysfunction is prevalent among male treatment-seeking CAF personnel and veterans. Results suggest that PTSD symptoms are differentially associated with sexual desire or pleasure concerns. Assessing sexual function among CAF personnel and veterans seeking treatment for PTSD is critical in order to treat both conditions and improve overall functioning.