Trauma exposure typologies as predictors of PTSD and functional impairment among male and female veterans.

Individuals exposed to multiple trauma types (i.e., polyvictimization) are at increased risk for poor mental health outcomes. However, despite high rates of exposure to traumatic events among veterans, few studies have examined typologies of lifetime trauma exposure or tested long-term impacts of these patterns of exposure in this population. The present study used latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify typologies of trauma among male and female post-9/11 veterans (N = 774) and test these typologies as predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and functional impairment at 10-year follow-up. Three subgroups were identified among male veterans, including low exposure, combat exposure, and polyvictimization. Three subgroups were also identified among female veterans, including moderate exposure, intimate partner violence, and polyvictimization. Relative to low exposure, polyvictimization but not combat exposure predicted elevated PTSD symptoms at follow-up for male veterans. These findings call attention to the long-term deleterious impacts of polyvictimization among male veterans and highlight the unique experiences of female veterans, including disproportionate rates of exposure to interpersonal and sexual violence across the lifespan.

Duke Scholars

Author Patrick Shields Calhoun Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...