A preliminary examination of prolonged exposure therapy with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder and mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.

Objective: : Preliminary examination of the effectiveness of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Participants: : Ten Veterans with a history of mild to moderate TBI and chronic PTSD.

Setting: : Outpatient Mental Health/PTSD clinics and polytrauma centers at 2 VA medical centers.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and health risk behaviors among Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans attending college.

Objective: To determine if post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with health risk behaviors among Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans attending college.

Method: Using 2008 Boynton College Student Health Survey data, we tested associations between self-reported PTSD diagnosis and self-reported risk behaviors (n=406).

Results: We found PTSD diagnosis to be significantly associated with reporting involvement in a physical fight in the past year (ARR = 3.

Interventions to improve veterans' access to care: a systematic review of the literature.

Objectives: To conduct a systematic review to address the following key questions: (1) what interventions have been successful in improving access for veterans with reduced health care access? (2) Have interventions that have improved health care access led to improvements in process and clinical outcomes?

Data Sources: OVID MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO.

Study Eligibility Criteria, Participants, And Interventions: English language articles published in peer-reviewed journals from 1990 to June 2010. All interventions designed to improve access to health care for US veterans that reported the impact of the intervention on perceived (e.

Predictors of postdeployment alcohol use disorders in National Guard soldiers deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Alcohol use in the military is a significant problem. The goal of this study was to examine the associations between personality, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and postdeployment alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among a group of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) deployed National Guard soldiers, with a focus on differentiating predeployment and postdeployment onset AUDs. Participants were 348 National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq from March 2006 to July 2007 drawn from the Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers (RINGS) study.

Longitudinal effects of mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder comorbidity on postdeployment outcomes in national guard soldiers deployed to Iraq.

Context: Troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are at high risk for exposure to combat events resulting in mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) or concussion and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The longer-term impact of combat-related concussion/MTBI and comorbid PTSD on troops' health and well-being is unknown.

Objective: To assess longitudinal associations between concussion/MTBI and PTSD symptoms reported in theater and longer-term psychosocial outcomes in combat-deployed National Guard soldiers.

Relationship adjustment, PTSD symptoms, and treatment utilization among coupled National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq.

Although combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with considerable impairment in relationship adjustment, research has yet to investigate how PTSD symptoms and relationship distress uniquely and jointly predict utilization of a range of mental health services. The present study sought to examine these issues utilizing a longitudinal sample of National Guard soldiers surveyed 2-3 months following return from deployment to Iraq and again 12 months later (N = 223). Results indicated that PTSD symptom severity, but not relationship adjustment, uniquely predicted greater odds of utilizing individual-oriented mental health services.

Prevalence, assessment, and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review of the evidence.

Background: Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are returning from combat having sustained traumatic brain injury, mostcommonly mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), and experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinical guidelines for mTBI and PTSDdo not focus on the co-occurrence of these conditions (mTBI/PTSD). A synthesis of the evidence on prevalence, diagnostic accuracy, andtreatment effectiveness for mTBI/PTSD would be of use to clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.

Psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidity, and functioning in National Guard troops deployed to Iraq.

Objective: Over 1.8 million troops have been deployed to Iraq (OIF) and Afghanistan. Estimates of mental health problems postdeployment have been based on screening instruments; no studies have examined the postdeployment mental health of troops returning from OIF using structured diagnostic interviews.

Predeployment gender differences in stressors and mental health among U.S. National Guard troops poised for Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment.

Increased exposure of women soldiers to combat in current conflicts heightens interest in the question of whether risk and resilience factors differ for female and male military personnel prior to deployment. The authors examined this question in a panel of 522 National Guard soldiers (462 men and 60 women) poised for deployment to Iraq. Soldiers completed a battery of self-report measures, including the PTSD Checklist, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and scales from the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory.

Early mental health treatment-seeking among U.S. National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq.

The authors examined rates of and factors associated with postdeployment treatment-seeking in a panel of 424 National Guard soldiers who spent 16 months in Iraq. Soldiers completed a self-report, mailed survey 3- to 6-months after returning home. Approximately one third of respondents reported postdeployment mental health treatment.

Impact of prior Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom combat duty on mental health in a predeployment cohort of National Guard soldiers.

Objectives: The goal was to examine the impact of prior Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) combat deployment on reported psychiatric and somatic symptoms among National Guard/Reserve (NGR) soldiers 1 month before deployment to Iraq.

Method: 522 NGR soldiers completed a survey assessing predeployment risk and resilience factors as well as current levels of PTSD, depressive, and somatic symptoms.

Results: Overall, soldiers reported few psychiatric symptoms present before deployment to Iraq.

Predictors of alcohol use prior to deployment in National Guard Soldiers.

Frequent and heavy alcohol use is associated with negative mental and physical health consequences. Previous research has suggested that alcohol misuse is associated with demographic, personality, and mental health variables. This study examined the relative contribution of these factors in predicting drinking among National Guard soldiers prior to deployment to a combat zone.

The effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder in a frontline service setting.

The goal of the current study was to test the generalizability of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a frontline service setting. Twenty-nine patients who presented to treatment clinics with problematic worry were provided CBT for GAD. Among the intent-to-treat sample, there were no significant changes in worry or depression from pre- to posttreatment.