title: Military sexual assault, gender, and PTSD treatment outcomes of U.S. Veterans.
abstract: This study examined whether gender and military sexual assault (MSA) were associated with psychiatric severity differences at initiation of treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and whether MSA and gender predicted psychiatric treatment outcomes. Male (n = 726) and female (n = 111) patients were recruited from 7 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) PTSD specialty intensive treatment programs and completed an intake survey; 69% (n = 574) of the participants completed a 4-month postdischarge follow-up survey. Measures included current PTSD and depressive symptoms, aggressive/violent behaviors, alcohol and drug use severity, and quality of life. Multilevel multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the main and interaction effects of gender and MSA on psychiatric treatment outcomes at 4-month follow-up, including demographics, baseline severity, hostile fire, and treatment length of stay. Baseline PTSD severity did not differ by gender or MSA status, but women had more severe depressive symptoms (d = 0.40) and less aggressive/violent symptoms (d = -0.46) than men. Gender, MSA status, and the interaction between gender and MSA did not predict treatment outcomes as hypothesized. Male and female veterans with and without MSA responded equally well to treatment in VA PTSD intensive treatment programs.
authors.affiliation: National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California, USA; California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, San Francisco, California, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
authors.forename: Quyen Q
authors.initials: QQ
authors.lastname: Tiet
authors.forename: Yani E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Leyva
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Blau
authors.forename: Jessica A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Turchik
authors.forename: Craig S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Rosen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*