Abstract
Background
Significant numbers of individuals leave the military and experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans with PTSD symptoms rarely experience them in isolation, more commonly they are co-morbid with a range of other difficulties.
Objective
Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore the heterogeneity of PTSD symptom presentation. Following this regression analysis was used to examine variables that predicted membership to the identified PTSD profiles.
Methods
Data on childhood adversity, socio-demographic characteristics and mental health outcomes was collected from 386 male veterans who had engaged with mental health services in the UK.
Results
LPA identified a six-profile model to best describe the sample. There was a Low symptom profile, a Severe symptom profile and four moderate symptom profiles. The Severe symptom profile was the largest one, accounting for 37.57% of the sample. Five out of the six profiles had mean PTSD scores above the cut-off for probable PTSD. Higher rates of common mental health difficulties were associated with more symptomatic profiles.
Discussion
As the vast majority of veterans met criteria for probable PTSD, the finding of six different profiles differing primarily quantitatively, but to some extent also qualitatively, suggests the importance of moving away from a ‘one-size’ fits all approach when it comes to treatments, towards developing interventions that are tailored to meet the specific PTSD and co-morbid symptoms profiles.
Significant numbers of individuals leave the military and experience symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Veterans with PTSD symptoms rarely experience them in isolation, more commonly they are co-morbid with a range of other difficulties.
Objective
Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to explore the heterogeneity of PTSD symptom presentation. Following this regression analysis was used to examine variables that predicted membership to the identified PTSD profiles.
Methods
Data on childhood adversity, socio-demographic characteristics and mental health outcomes was collected from 386 male veterans who had engaged with mental health services in the UK.
Results
LPA identified a six-profile model to best describe the sample. There was a Low symptom profile, a Severe symptom profile and four moderate symptom profiles. The Severe symptom profile was the largest one, accounting for 37.57% of the sample. Five out of the six profiles had mean PTSD scores above the cut-off for probable PTSD. Higher rates of common mental health difficulties were associated with more symptomatic profiles.
Discussion
As the vast majority of veterans met criteria for probable PTSD, the finding of six different profiles differing primarily quantitatively, but to some extent also qualitatively, suggests the importance of moving away from a ‘one-size’ fits all approach when it comes to treatments, towards developing interventions that are tailored to meet the specific PTSD and co-morbid symptoms profiles.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1558706 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-11 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | European Journal of Psychotraumatology |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 21 Jan 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published online - 21 Jan 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019, © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Copyright:
Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Latent profile analysis
- Military
- PTSD
- Veterans
- Ex-service personnel
- Trauma
- ex-service personnel
- trauma
- veterans
- military
