BACKGROUND: Disease prevalence and use of preventive services may differ between women veterans in general and those with spinal cord injuries and disorders (SCI&D). Prevention is particularly important in SCI&D, and disparities may exist in receipt of this care, particularly when special equipment and body adjustments are needed, among women with SCI&D. METHODS: To compare […]
Abstract Topics: Veterans
Body mass index in spinal cord injury — a retrospective study.
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of overweight and severely overweight (obese) in veterans with spinal cord injury. SETTING: Veterans Administration Hospital in Wisconsin. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all the patients registered in the current database with the Spinal Cord Injury Unit in the Veterans Administration Hospital was undertaken […]
Maintaining support in people with paralysis: what works?
Social support is a protective factor for well-being in the risk-and-resilience framework, yet people with paralysis report lower levels of support compared to people without paralysis. Rather than examine deficits, in this study, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with individuals who report high levels of social support to examine what sustains this protective factor. Because […]
Psychiatric interventions with returning soldiers at Walter Reed.
War is a malefic force and results in many psychiatric and medical casualties. Psychiatry’s involvement with soldiers experiencing psychological stress resulting from combat experience has been reported for many years (Zajtchuk, 1995). It has been demonstrated that a myriad of diagnosis to include depression, anxiety, somatoform, adjustment disorders and psychotic behaviors also emerge (Wain et […]
Subthreshold PTSD in primary care: prevalence, psychiatric disorders, healthcare use, and functional status.
The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of subthreshold posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with specific traumas, other psychiatric diagnoses, healthcare use, and functional status among 669 veterans in four VA Medical Centers. A cross-sectional, epidemiological design incorporating self-report measures, structured interviews, and chart reviews was used to obtain relevant […]
PTSD and Treatment Adherence: the role of health beliefs.
Health beliefs have been shown to influence a myriad of medical treatment decisions. More recently, the impact of health beliefs on treatment decisions for mental illness has become a focus of study. This study examines the health beliefs and treatment behavior of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Using standard survey methodology, we assessed beliefs […]
Hearing health and care: The need for improved hearing loss prevention and hearing conservation practices.
Hearing loss affects 31 million Americans, particularly veterans who were exposed to harmful levels of noise during military functions. Many veterans also receive treatment with ototoxic medications, which may exacerbate preexisting hearing loss. Thus, hearing loss is the most common and tinnitus the third most common service-connected disability among veterans. Poor implementation of hearing protection […]
War-related mental health problems of today’s veterans: new clinical awareness.
Veterans of the military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan may have been exposed to significant psychological stressors, resulting in mental and emotional disorders. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by symptoms in three domains: reexperiencing the trauma, avoiding stimuli associated with the trauma, and symptoms of increased autonomic arousal. Treatment of PTSD often requires both […]
Predicting high-risk behaviors in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
The present study sought to identify posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients at high risk for negative behavioral outcomes (violence, suicide attempts, and substance use). The Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD, the Beck Depression Inventory, and demographic and behavioral data from 409 male combat veterans who completed a VA residential rehabilitation program for PTSD were analyzed […]
Improving the rates of quitting smoking for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
OBJECTIVE: Smoking is highly prevalent and refractory among people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study aimed to improve the rate of quitting smoking for veterans with PTSD by integrating treatment for nicotine dependence into mental health care. METHOD: Smokers undergoing treatment for PTSD (N=66) were randomly assigned to 1) tobacco use treatment delivered by […]