title: Different types of combat experiences and associated symptoms in OEF and OIF National Guard and reserve veterans.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It is well established that exposure to combat is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The experiences of military personnel serving in combat zones vary widely however, leading to increased attention to the impact of different types of combat trauma. The present study examined the relationships among 3 conceptually based categories of combat exposure with 4 PTSD symptom clusters (reexperiencing, avoidance, numbing, and hyperarousal) and symptoms of guilt, depression, and anxiety.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 206 National Guard and Reserve members who had recently returned from deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  As hypothesized, findings from a multivariate multiple linear regression analysis showed that exposure to personal life threat predicted symptoms of hyperarousal, and exposure to death or severe injury of others predicted symptoms of depression. Hypotheses that personal life threat would predict anxiety symptoms, exposure to death or injury of others would predict numbing, and having killed would predict guilt were not supported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The relative degree of exposure to life threat and death/loss events in a war-zone may impact the development of different types of symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering different types of trauma exposure in future research. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
authors.forename: M Tracie
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
authors.forename: Candice
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Presseau
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
authors.forename: Shauna L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Finley
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center.
authors.forename: Madhavi K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spofford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D001143:Arousal; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D000067453:War Exposure