Prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in United States military spouses: The Millennium Cohort Family Study.

Background: Approximately half of US service members are married, equating to 1.1 million military spouses, yet the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among military spouses remains understudied. We assessed the prevalence and correlates of eight mental health conditions in spouses of service members with 2-5 years of service.

Self-Blame and PTSD Following Sexual Assault: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Sexual assault is a prevalent trauma associated with high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Social cognitive theories posit that behavioral self-blame (i.e.

Predictors of PTSD 40 years after combat: Findings from the National Vietnam Veterans longitudinal study.

Background: Few studies have longitudinally examined predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a nationally representative sample of US veterans. We examined predictors of warzone-related PTSD over a 25-year span using data from the National Vietnam Veterans Longitudinal Study (NVVLS).

Methods: The NVVLS is a follow-up study of Vietnam theater veterans (N = 699) previously assessed in the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study (NVVRS), a large national-probability study conducted in the late 1980s.

Marijuana and other cannabinoids as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A literature review.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in the general population, yet there are limitations to the effectiveness, tolerability, and acceptability of available first-line interventions. We review the extant knowledge on the effects of marijuana and other cannabinoids on PTSD. Potential therapeutic effects of these agents may largely derive from actions on the endocannabinoid system and we review major animal and human findings in this area.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms across the deployment cycle: A latent transition analysis.

Our objective was to examine symptom-level changes in the course in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across the deployment cycle among combat-exposed Marines, and to determine the degree to which combat exposure and post-deployment stressor exposure predicted PTSD symptom profile transitions. We examined PTSD symptoms in a cohort of U.S.

The structure of PTSD in active-duty marines across the deployment cycle.

Objective: There has been significant debate about the optimal factor structure of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In military and veteran samples, most available studies have employed self-report measures, assessed PTSD cross-sectionally, used treatment-seeking samples, and assessed symptoms years after deployment. We extend previous studies by comparing the factor structure of clinician-assessed and self-report Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) PTSD in a nontreatment seeking sample at 4 time points spanning the deployment cycle.

Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a Cannabis sativa constituent, is a pharmacologically broad-spectrum drug that in recent years has drawn increasing interest as a treatment for a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. The purpose of the current review is to determine CBD's potential as a treatment for anxiety-related disorders, by assessing evidence from preclinical, human experimental, clinical, and epidemiological studies. We found that existing preclinical evidence strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder when administered acutely; however, few studies have investigated chronic CBD dosing.

Psychotherapy for Military-Related PTSD: A Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Importance: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric disorder common among military personnel and veterans. First-line psychotherapies most often recommended for PTSD consist mainly of "trauma-focused" psychotherapies that involve focusing on details of the trauma or associated cognitive and emotional effects.

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of psychotherapies for PTSD in military and veteran populations.

Early PTSD symptom sub-clusters predicting chronic posttraumatic stress following sexual assault.

Contemporary models of PTSD disaggregate this disorder into sub-clusters that differentially impact functioning. Severity of different types of PTSD symptoms in the acute posttrauma period may be predictive of the course of PTSD over time. Few research studies, however, have examined the predictive utility of PTSD sub-clusters.

PTSD symptom presentation across the deployment cycle.

Background: Symptom-level variation in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has not yet been examined in the early post-deployment phase, but may be meaningful etiologically, prognostically, and clinically.

Methods: Using latent class analysis (LCA), we examined PTSD symptom heterogeneity in a cohort of participants from the Marine Resiliency Study (MRS), a longitudinal study of combat Marines deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (N=892). Typologies of PTSD symptom presentation were examined at one month pre-deployment and again one, five, and eight months post-deployment.

The relationship between course of PTSD symptoms in deployed U.S. Marines and degree of combat exposure.

Large cohort studies suggest that most military personnel experience minimal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms following warzone deployment, an outcome often labeled resilience. Very low symptom levels, however, may be a marker for low exposure, not resilience, which requires relatively high-magnitude or high-frequency stress exposure as a precondition. We used growth mixture modeling (GMM) to examine the longitudinal course of lifetime PTSD symptoms following combat exposure by disaggregating deployed U.

Emotional Functioning in Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder: Comparison to Borderline Personality Disorder and Healthy Controls.

Few studies have investigated emotional functioning in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). To explore the nature and extent of emotion difficulties in OCPD, the authors examined four domains of self-reported emotional functioning--negative affectivity, anger, emotion regulation, and emotion expressivity--in women with OCPD and compared them to a borderline personality disorder (BPD) group and a healthy control group. Data were collected as part of a larger psychophysiological experimental study on emotion regulation and personality.

Does mental health stigma change across the deployment cycle?

Objectives: Prior research on mental health stigma in military personnel has been cross-sectional. We prospectively examined the course of perceived mental health stigma in a cohort of deployed U.S.

Posttraumatic stress in deployed Marines: prospective trajectories of early adaptation.

We examined the course of PTSD symptoms in a cohort of U.S. Marines (N = 867) recruited for the Marine Resiliency Study (MRS) from a single infantry battalion that deployed as a unit for 7 months to Afghanistan during the peak of conflict there.

One-size-fits-all approach to PTSD in the VA not supported by the evidence.

Comments on the article by B. E. Karlin and G.

Cortisol response to an experimental stress paradigm prospectively predicts long-term distress and resilience trajectories in response to active police service.

Heterogeneity in glucocorticoid response to experimental stress conditions has shown to differentiate individuals with healthy from maladaptive real-life stress responses in a number of distinct domains. However, it is not known if this heterogeneity influences the risk for developing stress related disorders or if it is a biological consequence of the stress response itself. Determining if glucocorticoid response to stress induction prospectively predicts psychological vulnerability to significant real life stressors can adjudicate this issue.

What is the typical response to sexual assault? Reply to Bonanno (2013).

We respond to Bonanno's (2013) comment on our longitudinal evaluation of sexual assault survivors. Bonanno posits that minor disruption in functioning is the modal response to any stressor or trauma, yet most women we studied had marked initial symptoms in the immediate months following assault, which gradually improved over time. We argue that sexual violence is one example of intentional and malicious victimization, which differs from other experiences studied by Bonanno, such as spinal cord injury.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: review of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program.

Since the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military has implemented several population-based initiatives to enhance psychological resilience and prevent psychological morbidity in troops.

Prospective investigation of mental health following sexual assault.

Background: Comorbidity in psychological disorders is common following exposure to a traumatic event. Relatively little is known about the manner in which changes in the symptoms of a given type of psychological disorder in the acute period following a trauma impact changes in symptoms of another disorder. This study investigated the relationship between changes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms in the first 12 weeks following sexual assault.

Psychotherapy for military-related posttraumatic stress disorder: review of the evidence.

Approximately 20% of the two million troops who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan may require treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We review treatment outcome studies on individual outpatient therapy for military-related PTSD, and consider the extent to which veterans initiate and complete available PTSD treatments. We conclude with considerations for future research.