Posttraumatic stress disorder, trauma exposure, and the current health of Canadian bus drivers.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies of veterans have linked posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after combat-related trauma to increased reports of health problems. It is unclear whether this association between PTSD and increased health problems generalizes to civilians who are exposed to a broader array of traumatic events. We also do not know whether trauma exposure is associated with increased health problems in individuals who do not develop PTSD. Using a non-treatment-seeking civilian sample, we examined whether lifetime PTSD or trauma exposure by itself was associated with current health problems.


METHODS
Using a cross-sectional design and self-report measures, we evaluated urban Canadian bus drivers (n = 342) on trauma exposure, lifetime PTSD, and current health problems. Based on their responses, we divided our sample into individuals who had never experienced trauma (n = 91), trauma-exposed individuals who had never developed PTSD (n = 218), and persons who developed PTSD at some point after trauma (n = 33). We compared these groups on health problems, treatment service use, and health assessment measures.


RESULTS
The PTSD group reported increased health complaints, more frequent use of health treatments, and poorer health self-ratings compared with the exposed non-PTSD and nonexposed groups. Trauma-exposed drivers without PTSD did not differ from unexposed drivers on any health measure. Controlling for sex and trauma frequency did not alter our findings.


CONCLUSIONS
Trauma exposure that leads to PTSD is associated with increased health problems, while trauma exposure alone is not. Our results extend previous findings to a broader civilian context and clarify associations between trauma exposure and health.
Vedantham
K
K
Fernand-Seguin Research Center, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec. kumar@itsa.ucsf.edu
Brunet
A
A
Boyer
R
R
Weiss
D S
DS
Metzler
T J
TJ
Marmar
C R
CR
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018986:Motor Vehicles; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011792:Quebec; D012307:Risk Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D014186:Transportation; D014505:Urban Population