Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2008
Journal
The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
Volume
53
Issue
9
First Page
594
Last Page
600
URL with Digital Object Identifier
https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2009.60.3.358
Abstract
Objectives: To examine the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in deployed Canadian Forces peacekeeping veterans, addressing associations with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression severity.
Methods: Participants (n = 125) were consecutive male veterans who were referred for a psychiatric assessment. Instruments administered included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, Short-Form-36 Health Survey, and sociodemographic characteristics.
Results: Mental HRQOL was significantly lower for peacekeepers with, than without, PTSD. Using univariate analyses, PTSD and depression severity were each significantly negatively related to mental HRQOL. In sequential regression analyses controlling for age, we found that PTSD and depression severity significantly predicted both mental and physical HRQOL.
Conclusions: Veterans with PTSD have significant impairments in mental and physical HRQOL. This information is useful for clinicians and Veterans Affairs administrators working with the newer generation of veterans, as it stresses the importance of including measures of quality of life in the psychiatric evaluation of veterans to better address their rehabilitation needs
Notes
Originally published in The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry. Available open access at: https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2009.60.3.358