%0 Journal Article
%T The impact of Purple Heart commendation and PTSD on mortality rates in older veterans
%J Depression and anxiety
%D 2011
%A Kimbrell, Tim
%A Pyne, Jeffrey M.
%A Kunik, Mark E.
%A Magruder, Kathy M.
%A Petersen, Nancy J.
%A Yu, Hong-Jen
%A Hudson, Teresa J.
%A Schulz, Paul E.
%A Qureshi, Salah U.
%V 28
%N 12
%P 1086-1090
%X Background: To determine whether having received a Purple Heart (PH) or having been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affected mortality in older veterans. Methods: We compared mortality rates of older veterans with a PH but without PTSD (PH+/PTSD-) to veterans with a PH and PTSD (PH+/PTSD+), veterans without a PH but with PTSD (PH-/PTSD+), and a comparison group without a PH or PTSD (PH-/PTSD-). Administrative data from the Veterans Integrated Service Network 16 were collected between 10/01/97 and 09/30/99 for veterans who were 65 years or older. Proportional hazards regression was used to compare the survival times for the four groups (n = 10,255) from entry into the study until death or study termination (9/30/2008). The Charleson co-morbidity index was used to control for potential co-morbid illness burden differences between the groups. Results: Older veterans with a PH (PH+/PTSD- and PH+/PTSD+) had significantly lower mortality rates than PH-/PTSD- veterans (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.5 to 0.6, P<.0001; and HR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.7, P<.0001). The PH-/PTSD+ group had a higher mortality rate than the PH-/PTSD- group (HR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.2, P<.01). Conclusions: Veterans who had PH citations and survived into their seventh decade had half the mortality rate of veterans without PH citations with or without PTSD. Veterans with PTSD but without a PH had a significantly higher mortality rate compared to (PH-/PTSD-). Veterans who suffer combat injury without developing PTSD may provide a useful study population for determining the factors that confer resilience. Depression and Anxiety 0:1-5, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I John Wiley and Sons
%@ 1091-4269
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.20850