%0 Journal Article
%T Longitudinal trajectories of comorbid PTSD and depression symptoms among U.S. service members and veterans
%J BMC psychiatry
%D 2019
%A Armenta, Richard F.
%A Walter, Kristen H.
%A Geronimo-Hara, Toni Rose
%A Porter, Ben
%A Stander, Valerie A.
%A Leardmann, Cynthia A.
%V 19
%N 1
%P e396-e396
%X BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders, particularly major depressive disorder (MDD). The current study examined longitudinal trajectories of PTSD and MDD symptoms among service members and veterans with comorbid PTSD/MDD. <br><br>METHODS: Eligible participants (n = 1704) for the Millennium Cohort Study included those who screened positive at baseline for both PTSD (PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version) and MDD (Patient Health Questionnaire). Between 2001 and 2016, participants completed a baseline assessment and up to 4 follow-up assessments approximately every 3 years. Mixture modeling simultaneously determined trajectories of comorbid PTSD and MDD symptoms. Multinomial regression determined factors associated with latent class membership. <br><br>RESULTS: Four distinct classes (chronic, relapse, gradual recovery, and rapid recovery) described symptom trajectories of PTSD/MDD. Membership in the chronic class was associated with older age, service branch, deployment with combat, anxiety, physical assault, disabling injury/illness, bodily pain, high levels of somatic symptoms, and less social support. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Comorbid PTSD/MDD symptoms tend to move in tandem, and, although the largest class remitted symptoms, almost 25% of participants reported chronic comorbid symptoms across all time points. <br><br>RESULTS highlight the need to assess comorbid conditions in the context of PTSD. Future research should further evaluate the chronicity of comorbid symptoms over time.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC
%@ 1471-244X
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12888-019-2375-1