title: A meta-analysis of the relationship between symptom severity of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and executive function.
abstract: Some studies of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) find executive dysfunction, whereas others do not. We meta-analytically examined the association between executive function and PTSD and used meta-regression to examine the potential moderating effect of PTSD severity on executive function.
  
  
  
  We conducted a meta-analysis according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We identified published peer-reviewed articles containing measures of executive function and PTSD symptom severity in subjects with PTSD compared to trauma-unexposed controls or trauma-exposed controls without PTSD, or both. We calculated an effect size for each study containing at least one measure of executive function and PTSD symptom severity.
  
  
  
  PTSD subjects for whom the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) score was available had worse executive function compared to both trauma-unexposed controls (g = 0.464, p < .001) and to trauma-exposed controls without PTSD (g = 0.414, p = .001), as did PTSD subjects for whom the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD (M-PTSD) score was available (g = 0.390, p < .001). Neither CAPS nor M-PTSD scores significantly moderated the effect size of executive function.
  
  
  
  PTSD is associated with executive dysfunction, but this association was not moderated by PTSD symptom severity, suggesting that once PTSD occurs, executive dysfunction may occur regardless of PTSD severity.
authors.affiliation: a Seton Brain & Spine Institute, Department of Neurology , Dell Medical School, University of Texas , Austin , TX , USA.
authors.forename: Fu L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Woon
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical Center , Durham , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Farrer
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Brigham Young University , Provo , UT , USA.
authors.forename: Colin R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Braman
authors.affiliation: d Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology , Brigham Young University , Provo , UT , USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Mabey
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Brigham Young University , Provo , UT , USA.
authors.forename: Dawson W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hedges
mesh_terms: D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000503:physiopathology*
keywords: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; executive function; meta-analysis; neuropsychology; trauma severity