title: Deployment stressors and physical health among OEF/OIF veterans: the role of PTSD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a large body of literature documenting the relationship between traumatic stress and deleterious physical health outcomes. Although posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms have been proposed to explain this relationship, previous research has produced inconsistent results when moderating variables such as gender or type of traumatic stressor are considered. Within a large sample of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans, the current study examined if deployment stressors (i.e., combat stress, harassment stress) contributed unique variance to the prediction of physical health symptoms (i.e., pain, nonpain) beyond the effects of PTSD symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2,332 OEF/OIF Veterans, with equal representation of women and men, completed a series of self-report measures assessing deployment stressors, PTSD symptoms, and physical health symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RESULTS revealed that harassment, but not combat stress, added unique variance in the prediction of pain and nonpain symptoms after accounting for PTSD symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study extends the existing literature by demonstrating the unique influence of harassment stress on physical health outcomes. Specifically, the relationship between combat stress and physical health symptoms appears to be explained mainly by an individual's experience of PTSD symptoms, whereas the relationship between harassment stress and physical health symptoms is not fully explained by PTSD symptoms, suggesting that other variables may be involved in the pathway from harassment stress to physical health symptoms.
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD.
authors.forename: Yael I
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Nillni
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD.
authors.forename: Jaimie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gradus
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD.
authors.forename: Cassidy A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gutner
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD.
authors.forename: Matthew T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Luciano
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD.
authors.forename: Jillian C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Shipherd
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD.
authors.forename: Amy E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Street
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D057566:Self Report; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data