title: Trauma, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and associated problems among incarcerated veterans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To help improve treatment for incarcerated veterans, the study examined exposure to trauma, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), functional status, and treatment history in a group of incarcerated veterans.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of 129 jailed veterans who agreed to receive outreach contact completed the Life Event History Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), and the Addiction Severity Index. Participants who had scores of 50 or above on the PCL-C, designated as screening positive for PTSD, were compared with those whose scores were below 50, designated as screening negative for PTSD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some 112 veterans (87 percent) reported traumatic experiences. A total of 51 veterans (39 percent) screened positive for PTSD, and 78 veterans (60 percent) screened negative. Compared with veterans who screened negative for PTSD, those who screened positive reported a greater variety of traumas; more serious current legal problems; a higher lifetime use of alcohol, cocaine, and heroin; higher recent expenditures on drugs; more psychiatric symptoms; and worse general health despite more previous psychiatric and medical treatment as well as treatment for substance abuse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings encourage the development of an improved treatment model to keep jailed veterans with PTSD from repeated incarceration.
authors: Center of Excellence in Substance Abuse Treatment and Education in Seatle, USA. andrew.saxon@med.va.gov
authors: A J
authors: AJ
authors: Saxon
authors: T M
authors: TM
authors: Davis
authors: K L
authors: KL
authors: Sloan
authors: K M
authors: KM
authors: McKnight
authors: M E
authors: ME
authors: McFall
authors: D R
authors: DR
authors: Kivlahan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011330:Prisons; D012494:Sampling Studies; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014861:Washington / Q000453:epidemiology