title: Subthreshold PTSD in primary care: prevalence, psychiatric disorders, healthcare use, and functional status.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of subthreshold posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with specific traumas, other psychiatric diagnoses, healthcare use, and functional status among 669 veterans in four VA Medical Centers. A cross-sectional, epidemiological design incorporating self-report measures, structured interviews, and chart reviews was used to obtain relevant information for analyses. Comparisons across three trauma-exposed groups (PTSD, subthreshold PTSD, no PTSD) revealed that veterans in the subthreshold PTSD group did not use mental health services more often than those in the no PTSD group despite the presence of additional mental health diagnoses and worse functional status. These data indicate that clinicians may be overlooking a subset of individuals suffering from subsyndromal PTSD, suggesting the need to detect and serve these individuals better within healthcare settings.
authors.affiliation: VA Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA.
authors.forename: Anouk L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Grubaugh
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Magruder
authors.forename: Angela E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Waldrop
authors.forename: Jon D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Elhai
authors.forename: Rebecca G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: B Christopher
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Frueh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology