Brendan Owens: 'Article Review 2: Compensating Our Military Veterans'

Source:People For Polity is Brendan Owens personal blog, who I met on Facebook.

"The above study examined the association between substance abuse disorder (SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and symptoms and mechanisms underlying those associations.  Participants of the study were assessed at the beginning of the study and six months following inpatient SUD treatment.  Since the treatment was necessary to conduct this study, it can be classified as interventionist.

Because SUD and PTSD occur together often, a more clear understanding of this dynamic may identify areas for intervention.  This also includes how different substances may be related to different PTSD symptom clusters.  For example, hyperarousal symptoms were associated with alcohol problems.  

Details of the study after the break…

At the study’s onset, 133 participants received inpatient SUD treatment at a psychiatric hospital.  51 percent were women, and 90 percent were white.  The average age was 37 years old.  Variables the study examined included sex [male, female], age [18-55], PTSD [yes, no], and SUD [alcohol, opioids, cocaine, cannabis, sedatives, stimulants].

Interviews and self-reports were conducted at the baseline and 6 months post-discharge.  90 percent of the participants completed follow-up assessments.  A PTSD Scale assessed PTSD, while the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised assessed traumatic exposure.  The number of symptoms endorsed indicated the PTSD and symptom cluster severity.  After six months, these same procedures were repeated. 

The study found that the most common SUD in this sample to be alcohol use disorder at 69 percent.  34 percent met the criteria for opioid use, 23 percent for cocaine abuse, 19 percent for cannabis use disorder, 15 percent for a sedative use disorder, 4 percent abusing hallucinogens, and 2 percent abusing stimulants.  

At the six month point, the majority of participants had used alcohol or other drugs at least once (67 percent).  38 patients were still suffering from PTSD, while only 14 reported no longer suffering from the disorder.  

Individuals with PTSD were more likely to meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders criteria for mood disorder than those who were not diagnosed as indicated on... 

From People For Polity