Dissemination and Training Division, National Center for PTSD, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park, California.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California.
J Trauma Stress. 2022 Dec;35(6):1792-1800. doi: 10.1002/jts.22874. Epub 2022 Sep 5.
Trauma-exposed veterans receiving mental health care may have an elevated risk of experiencing COVID-19-related difficulties. Using data from several ongoing clinical trials (N = 458), this study examined exposure to COVID-19-related stressors and their associations with key sociodemographic factors and mental health outcomes. The results showed that exposure to COVID-19-related stressors was common, higher among veterans who were racial/ethnic minorities d = 0.32, and associated with elevated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), r = .288, and depressive symptom severity, r = .246. Women veterans experienced more difficulty accessing social support, d = 0.31, and higher levels of COVID-19-related distress, d = 0.31, than men. Qualitative data were consistent with survey findings and highlighted the broader societal context in veterans' experience of COVID-19-related distress. These findings may inform future research on the impact of the pandemic on veterans, particularly those who are women and members of minoritized racial/ethnic groups, as well as mental health treatment planning for this population.
接受心理健康护理的经历过创伤的退伍军人可能面临更高的 COVID-19 相关困难风险。本研究使用来自几项正在进行的临床试验的数据（N=458），调查了 COVID-19 相关应激源的暴露情况及其与关键社会人口因素和心理健康结果的关联。结果表明，COVID-19 相关应激源的暴露很常见，少数族裔退伍军人的暴露率更高（d=0.32），与创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）（r=0.288）和抑郁症状严重程度（r=0.246）升高有关。女性退伍军人比男性更难获得社会支持（d=0.31），并且 COVID-19 相关困扰水平更高（d=0.31）。定性数据与调查结果一致，并强调了退伍军人 COVID-19 相关困扰经历中的更广泛的社会背景。这些发现可能为未来关于大流行对退伍军人的影响的研究提供信息，特别是对女性和少数族裔退伍军人，以及该人群的心理健康治疗计划。
