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Physiological arousal among women veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Forneris, CA; Butterfield, MI; Bosworth, HB
Published in: Mil Med
April 2004

The purpose of this study was to assess baseline physiological arousal in women veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a nonresearch setting. Heart rate, blood pressure, sublingual temperature, and weight were obtained from a retrospective chart review of the medical records of 92 women veterans with and without a diagnosis of PTSD who were seen in an outpatient Veterans Affairs medical center. Women veterans with PTSD had statistically significantly higher mean baseline heart rates compared with women veterans without PTSD. The two groups did not differ statistically in blood pressure measures, sublingual temperature, or body mass index. Based on our analyses, this difference is not likely to be an artifact of age, race, body mass index, smoking status, or medication. The mean resting heart rate of women with PTSD was 83.9 beats per minute; it was 77.5 beats per minute in those without PTSD. This elevation in heart rate among women veterans with PTSD suggests an increase in baseline physiological arousal compared with women veterans without PTSD. Faster resting heart rate has been shown to be associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension and a greater incidence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in non-PTSD samples. Further research is needed to determine the physiological effects of PTSD in women.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Mil Med

DOI

ISSN

0026-4075

Publication Date

April 2004

Volume

169

Issue

4

Start / End Page

307 / 312

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Veterans
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Strategic, Defence & Security Studies
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Self-Assessment
  • Retrospective Studies
  • North Carolina
  • Humans
  • Hospitals, Veterans
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Forneris, C. A., Butterfield, M. I., & Bosworth, H. B. (2004). Physiological arousal among women veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Mil Med, 169(4), 307–312. https://doi.org/10.7205/milmed.169.4.307
Forneris, Catherine A., Marian I. Butterfield, and Hayden B. Bosworth. “Physiological arousal among women veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.Mil Med 169, no. 4 (April 2004): 307–12. https://doi.org/10.7205/milmed.169.4.307.
Forneris CA, Butterfield MI, Bosworth HB. Physiological arousal among women veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Mil Med. 2004 Apr;169(4):307–12.
Forneris, Catherine A., et al. “Physiological arousal among women veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder.Mil Med, vol. 169, no. 4, Apr. 2004, pp. 307–12. Pubmed, doi:10.7205/milmed.169.4.307.
Forneris CA, Butterfield MI, Bosworth HB. Physiological arousal among women veterans with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. Mil Med. 2004 Apr;169(4):307–312.

Published In

Mil Med

DOI

ISSN

0026-4075

Publication Date

April 2004

Volume

169

Issue

4

Start / End Page

307 / 312

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Veterans
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Strategic, Defence & Security Studies
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Self-Assessment
  • Retrospective Studies
  • North Carolina
  • Humans
  • Hospitals, Veterans