Evaluating the dimensionality of PTSD in a sample of OIF/OEF veterans.

Both categorical and dimensional models of mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are useful for diagnostic and heuristic purposes; however, few empirical studies have compared categorical and dimensional models of PTSD side-by-side or compared these models to a hybrid (dimensional and categorical) model. In the present study, the dimensionality of PTSD was examined by fitting latent profile analytic, confirmatory factor analytic, and factor mixture models in 271 Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans 6 months after return from deployment. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of individuals with similar PTSD symptom profiles and predictors of subgroup membership, confirmatory factor analysis was used to identify the underlying continuous structure of PTSD in this sample, and factor mixture modeling was used to test whether a hybrid categorical and continuous model of PTSD best fit our sample.

Inpatient utilization before and after implementation of psychosocial rehabilitation programs: analysis of cost reductions.

Research on psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) interventions generally indicates that these approaches are effective in facilitating improved functioning for persons with serious mental illness (SMI; schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic disorders). In this quasi-experimental study, we assessed the effectiveness of PSR interventions through a records review of 311 veterans who received outpatient services for SMI. From 2002 to 2008, a midwestern VA Medical Center implemented a number of PSR interventions.

The effectiveness of a trauma focused spiritually integrated intervention for veterans exposed to trauma.

Building Spiritual Strength (BSS) is an 8-session, spiritually integrated group intervention designed to address religious strain and enhance religious meaning making for military trauma survivors. It is based upon empirical research on the relationship between spirituality and adjustment to trauma. To assess the intervention's effectiveness, veterans with histories of trauma who volunteered for the study were randomly assigned to a BSS group (n = 26) or a wait-list control group (n = 28).

Christian religious functioning and trauma outcomes.

While some trauma survivors find their faith helpful in recovery, others find it a source of distress, and still others abandon their faith. More complex conceptualizations of religious functioning are needed to explore its relationship with trauma. This study explores such relationships using measures of religious action and behaviors in a community sample of 327 church-going, self-identified trauma survivors.