title: Psychological resilience is associated with more intact social functioning in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
abstract: Patients with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), common sequelae among individuals exposed to stressful or traumatic events, often report impairment in social functioning. Resilience is a multidimensional construct that enables adaptive coping with life adversity. Relationship between resilience and social functioning among veterans with depression and PTSD is not entirely clear and is the focus of this report. Resilience was assessed in 264 veterans using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, PTSD with the PTSD Symptom Scale, depression with the Beck Depression Inventory, and social functioning with the Short Form Health Survey. Higher resilience was associated with more intact social functioning after PTSD and depression severity, childhood maltreatment, physical health, gender, education, marital status, and employment were simultaneously adjusted for. Childhood maltreatment, gender, marital status, education, and employment did not predict social functioning; however, greater severity of PTSD, depression, or physical health problems was each significantly associated with more impaired social functioning. Our findings suggest that higher resilience was associated with more intact social functioning regardless of the severity of PTSD and depression. Given the importance of social functioning in depression and/or PTSD recovery, studies are needed to examine if enhancing resilience presents a complementary approach to alleviating impaired social functioning.
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Trauma Recovery Program, 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Room 4339, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Aliza P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Wingo
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Trauma Recovery Program, 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Room 4339, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Briscione
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Trauma Recovery Program, 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Room 4339, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Seth D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Norrholm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Room 4339, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jovanovic
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Trauma Recovery Program, 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033, USA.
authors.forename: S Ashley
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McCullough
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Trauma Recovery Program, 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Room 4339, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skelton
authors.affiliation: Atlanta VA Medical Center, Trauma Recovery Program, 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 101 Woodruff Circle, Room 4339, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. Electronic address: bekh.bradley@va.gov.
authors.forename: Bekh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bradley
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012917:Social Adjustment; D066107:Social Skills; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Childhood maltreatment; Depression; PTSD; Resilience; Social functioning; Trauma; Veterans