Workplace social support in job satisfaction among veterans with posttraumatic stress symptoms: A preliminary correlational study.

For Veterans managing PTSD symptoms, returning to vocational functioning is often challenging; identifying modifiable variables that can contribute to positive vocational adjustment is critical to improved vocational rehabilitation services. Workplace social support has proven to be important in vocational adjustment in both general population and vocational rehabilitation samples, but this area of inquiry has received little attention among Veterans with PTSD symptoms. In this small correlational study, employed Veterans (N = 63) presenting for outpatient PTSD treatment at a VA Health Care System completed surveys assessing demographic variables, PTSD symptoms, workplace social support, and job satisfaction. Workplace social support contributed to the prediction of job satisfaction. It is of note that workplace social support predicted a larger proportion of the variance in employment satisfaction than PTSD symptoms. Further research on workplace social support as a vocational rehabilitation resource for Veterans with PTSD is indicated.

The predictive validity of the PTSD Checklist in a nonclinical sample of combat-exposed National Guard troops.

After returning from an extended combat deployment to Iraq, 348 National Guard soldiers were administered the PTSD Checklist (PCL-M), and the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) followed, on average, 3 months later by structured diagnostic interviews including the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). There were 6.5% of the soldiers who met diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) based on structured interview. The predictive validity of the PCL was examined and contrasted with the predictive validity of the BDI-II in identifying soldiers meeting CAPS diagnosis for PTSD. The best identified PCL cut scores produced between 65% and 76% false positive errors when used as the sole source for identification of enduring PTSD. Comparison of prediction between the PCL and the BDI-II in identifying PTSD suggested that both instruments may be operating through tapping generalized distress rather than specific aspects of the disorder.

The structure of PTSD among two cohorts of returning soldiers: before, during, and following deployment to Iraq.

Evidence suggests either a four-factor emotional numbing or dysphoria model likely reflects the underlying structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Questions remain as to which of these structures best represents PTSD, how the structure changes with time, the applicability of models to returning veterans, and the validity of the symptom clusters. The present study addresses these questions among two longitudinal samples of National Guard soldiers assessed prior to, during, and following a combat deployment to Iraq. Findings support a four-factor intercorrelated dysphoria model of PTSD that remains stable across samples and time points. Differential associations were observed among PTSD symptom clusters over time and between symptom clusters and both depression and combat exposure, supporting important distinctions between symptom clusters.

Factor structure and concurrent validity of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form among veterans from the Iraq War.

The Posttraumatic Growth Inventory is a frequently used self-report measure of posttraumatic growth. It was adapted recently to a short form with preliminary evidence in support of its psychometric properties. The current survey study replicates evidence for the short form's factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and concurrent validity among a sample of 327 National Guard soldiers deployed in support of military operations in Iraq, a population distinct from the original scale-development sample of undergraduates. Findings provide evidence for satisfactory reliability, replicable factor structure (i.e., the same 5-factor structure as the original measure), and support for concurrent validity (i.e., relations with theoretically related constructs). Further research should address validity of the scale among more ethnically and racially heterogeneous samples.

Mental health diagnosis and occupational functioning in National Guard/Reserve veterans returning from Iraq.

Occupational functioning represents both an important outcome for military service members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom and a predictor for long-term mental health functioning. We investigated the role of mental health diagnoses, determined by structured clinical interviews, on occupational functioning in a group of 262 National Guard/Reserve service members within 1 year of returning from a 16-month OIF combat deployment. We assessed occupational functioning at the time of diagnostic interviews and 1 year later. We hypothesized that service members with diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and/or alcohol abuse or dependence would exhibit lower rates of employment at both time points and lower rates of reported work and/or school role functioning. Service members with a diagnosis of PTSD (5%, n = 13), subthreshold PTSD (6%, n = 15), a major depressive disorder (11%, n = 29), or alcohol abuse or dependence (11%, n = 28) did not differ on employment status from service members without a diagnosis at either time point. However, those with a diagnosis of PTSD, depression, and/or alcohol abuse or dependence reported lower levels of work role functioning. In addition, service members with a diagnosis of PTSD reported greater rates of deterioration in work role functioning over time.

Assessing the psychometric properties of the World Assumptions Scale.

The notion that traumatic events shatter survivors' fundamental assumptions about the world has been accepted as a truism in the trauma literature, although tests of this hypothesis provide a somewhat mixed picture. Because this research has relied heavily on the World Assumptions Scale (WAS), it is unclear whether these inconsistent results are due to problems with assumptive world theory, improper tests of the theory, or problems with the WAS. Data were gathered from 742 undergraduate students at four universities to assess the psychometric properties of the WAS. Findings suggest several shortcomings of the WAS, including temporal instability, and mixed evidence regarding construct validity. Implications for trauma research are discussed.

Assessing the validity of self-reported stress-related growth.

The purpose of these studies was to assess the validity of self-reported stress-related growth (SRG). In Study 1, individuals with breast cancer (n = 70) generally did not report greater well-being than a matched comparison group (n = 70). In Study 2, there were no significant differences in well-being between undergraduate students who said that something positive had come out of their worst stressor (n = 34) and those who reported no positives (n = 34). In Study 3, specific domains of SRG assessed in undergraduate students (n = 96) generally were not uniquely related to corresponding well-being measures. Thus, the authors found fairly little evidence for the validity of self-reported SRG. Future research directions are highlighted.