Citation

Silverberg ND, Wojtowicz M, Bui E, Wershba R, Zafonte R, Laifer LM, Simon NM, Iverson GL. J. Trauma. Stress 2017; 30(3): 318-322.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jts.22184

PMID

28544024

Abstract

Perceived cognitive impairment is a core clinical feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may be an important determinant of quality of life (QOL) in those who suffer from this disorder. Using a clinical data repository, we evaluated this hypothesis in a cross-sectional sample of U.S. military service members and veterans who served after September 11, 2001, and were seeking mental health treatment at a tertiary outpatient clinic. A consecutive series of 117 patients with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD completed a battery of questionnaires at intake, including the PTSD Checklist (Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 1993), a 4-item Cognitive Symptom subscale of the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (Cicerone & Kalmar, 1995), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Endicott, Nee, Harrison, & Blumenthal, 1993). Cognitive symptom reporting was very high, even in the subgroup without a history of traumatic brain injury. In a regression analysis, cognitive symptom severity was independently associated with QOL (β = -.204). This relationship was not explained by comorbid traumatic brain injury, but was restricted to patients with comorbid depression (β = -.278 in the subgroup with an elevated Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 Depression subscale; n = 91). In conclusion, perceived cognitive impairment was common in this PTSD sample and helped to explain impairments in QOL, especially in patients with comorbid depression.

Copyright © 2017 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Language: en