Engdahl, R. M., Elhai, J. D., Richardson, J. D. & Frueh, B. C. (2011). Comparing posttraumatic stress disorder's symptom structure between deployed and nondeployed veterans. Psychological Assessment, 23(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020045

Scores were compared on a self-report measure of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in a sample of Canadian veterans who had been deployed between 1990 and 1999 to a sample who had not been deployed (referred to here as “nondeployed”). The findings indicate that the factor structure of PTSD is different between groups with and without exposure to major traumatic events, which has implications for the revisions of the PTSD diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2010).

https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020045

Deployment
Mental health
Trauma
Veterans

International Military

Veteran

Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Aged (65 yrs & older)
Middle age (40 - 64 yrs)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)
Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)

Empirical Study
Quantitative Study

Engdahl, Ryan M., Elhai, Jon D., Richardson, J. Don, Frueh, B. Christopher

We tested two empirically validated 4-factor models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms using the PTSD Checklist: King, Leskin, King, and Weathers' (1998) model including reexperiencing, avoidance, emotional numbing, and hyperarousal factors, and Simms, Watson, and Doebbeling's (2002) model including reexperiencing, avoidance, dysphoria, and hyperarousal. Our aim was to determine which fit better in two groups of military veterans: peacekeepers previously deployed to a war zone (deployed group) and those trained for peacekeeping operations who were not deployed (nondeployed group). We compared the groups using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Adequate model fit was demonstrated among the nondeployed group, with no significant difference between King et al.'s (1998) model (separating avoidance and numbing) and Simms et al.'s (2002) similar model involving a dysphoria factor. A better fitting factor structure consistent with Simms et al.'s (2002) model was found in the deployed group. Comprehensive measurement invariance testing demonstrated significant differences between the deployed and nondeployed groups on all structural parameters, except observed variable intercepts (thus indicating similarities only in PTSD item severity). These findings add to researchers' understanding of PTSD's factor structure, given the revision of PTSD that will appear in the forthcoming 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2010)—namely, that the factor structure may be quite different between groups with and without exposure to major traumatic events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved)

American Psychological Association

Article
REACH Publication

Disaster Mental Health Institute, University of South Dakota, RME
Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, JDE
Operational Stress Injury Clinic, Parkwood Hospital, JDR
Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii-Hilo, BCF