title: The course of PTSD symptoms among Gulf War veterans: a growth mixture modeling approach.
abstract: Relatively little is known about the course of PTSD symptoms over time following trauma exposure. Accordingly, this study utilized a specialized structural equation modeling approach, growth mixture modeling, to examine the trajectory of PTSD symptoms across three time points in a sample of Gulf War veterans (n at Time 1 = 2,949, n at Time 2 = 2,313, and n at Time 3 = 1,327). Results were most consistent with a two-group model suggesting that the course of PTSD symptoms following the Gulf War was best characterized by two distinct growth curves: (1) low levels of PTSD symptoms with little increase over time and (2) higher levels of initial symptoms with a significant increase over time. Thus, it appears that response to Gulf War experiences is not homogeneous, and that a subset of individuals may experience relatively more PTSD symptoms over time. In addition, men, Whites, those reporting more education, and those reporting less combat exposure had a significantly higher probability of being classified into the less symptomatic group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115-2892, USA. horcutt@niu.edu
authors.forename: Holly K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Orcutt
authors.forename: Darin J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wolfe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D018923:Persian Gulf Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology