Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Health Problems Among Medically Ill Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans, Don Richardson, Jordan Pekevski, Jon D Elhai

MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre

OBJECTIVE:

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and four significant health conditions (gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal problems, headaches, and cardiovascular problems).

METHOD:

Participants included 707 Canadian peacekeeping veterans with service-related disabilities, from a random, national Canadian survey, who had been deployed overseas.

RESULTS:

PTSD severity was significantly related to gastrointestinal disorders, musculoskeletal problems, and headaches, but not to cardiovascular problems. Controlling for demographic factors did not affect PTSD's relationships with the three significant health conditions.

CONCLUSIONS:

The present study supports previous work in finding consistent relations between PTSD severity …

Predictors Of Likelihood And Intensity Of Past-Year Mental Health Service Use In An Active Canadian Military Sample, Deniz Fikretoglu, Jon D Elhai, Aihua Liu, Don Richardson, David J. Pedlar

MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre

Objective:
This study examined associations between sociodemographic, military, and psychiatric need variables and past-year mental health service use among active Canadian military members. The likelihood and intensity of services were examined across two provider types— mental health providers and medical providers.
Methods: Data were drawn from the first epidemiological survey of mental health in the Canadian Forces, conducted by Statistics Canada in 2002. Survey instruments included the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, which was used to assess mental health and service use.
Results: Of the 8,441 military members who participated in the survey, 14.5% (N=1,220) met criteria for having a mental …