title: Replication and expansion of findings related to racial differences in veterans with combat-related PTSD.
abstract: Racial differences in those seeking treatment at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment program were examined. One hundred eleven (71 Caucasian and 40 African American) veterans were compared on both self-report measures and interview measures of PTSD, depression, dissociation, and general psychopathology. Participants completed the following self-report measures: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Mississippi Combat PTSD Scale, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Participants also completed the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-1), which is a structured interview for PTSD, and completed a non-structured clinical interview. The two groups did not differ on measured demographic variables, nor were there significant differences on self-report or interview measures of anxiety, depression, or PTSD symptomatology. Contrary to expectation, groups did not differ on self-report measures of dissociation, paranoia, or schizophrenia. African Americans were significantly more likely to endorse items of bizarre mentation from the MMPI-2. These results suggest that African American and Caucasian veterans with combat-related PTSD do not differ with regard to manifestation or severity of psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Jeannine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.forename: Jon D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Elhai
authors.forename: B Christopher
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Frueh
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sauvageot
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Magruder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008950:MMPI; D008297:Male; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*