Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Feb/Mar;82(2):147-157.
doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000762.

Impact of Wartime Stress Exposures and Mental Health on Later-Life Functioning and Disability in Vietnam-Era Women Veterans: Findings From the Health of Vietnam-Era Women's Study

Brian N Smith  1 , Avron Spiro, Susan M Frayne, Rachel Kimerling, Yasmin Cypel, Matthew J Reinhard, Amy M Kilbourne, Kathryn M Magruder
Affiliations

Impact of Wartime Stress Exposures and Mental Health on Later-Life Functioning and Disability in Vietnam-Era Women Veterans: Findings From the Health of Vietnam-Era Women's Study

Brian N Smith et al. Psychosom Med. 2020 Feb/Mar.

Abstract

Objective: The effect of stress exposures and mental health sequelae on health-related outcomes is understudied among older women veterans. We examined a) the impact of wartime stress exposures on later-life functioning and disability in Vietnam-era women veterans and b) the extent to which mental health conditions known to be associated with stress-posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-are associated with additional later-life functioning and disability.

Methods: Data were collected in 2011 to 2012 using a mail survey and telephone interview of 4219 women veterans who were active duty during the Vietnam Era. Health functioning was assessed using the Veterans RAND 36-Item Health Survey, and disability was assessed using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0. Wartime exposures were assessed using the Women's War-Zone Stressor Scale-Revised; the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 3.0 was used to assess PTSD, MDD, and GAD.

Results: Several wartime stress exposures-including job-related pressures, dealing with death, and sexual discrimination and harassment-were associated with worse later-life health (β ranges, -0.04 to -0.26 for functioning, 0.05 to 0.30 for disability). Current PTSD was linked with lower health functioning (physical, β = -0.06; mental, β = -0.15) and greater disability (β = 0.14). Current MDD and GAD were also associated with lower mental health functioning (MDD, β = -0.29; GAD, β = -0.10) and greater disability (MDD, β = 0.16; GAD, β = 0.06).

Conclusions: Results underscore the importance of detection and treatment of the potential long-term effects of wartime stressors and mental health conditions among women veterans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Friedman MJ, Schnurr PP. The relationship between trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, and physical health. In: Friedman MJ, Charney DS, Deutch AY, editors. Neurobiological and clinical consequences of stress: From normal adaptation to post-traumatic stress disorder. Philadelphia: Raven; 1995. p. 507–24.
    1. Green BL, Kimerling R. Trauma PTSD, and health status. In: Schurr PP, Green BL, editors. Physical health consequences of exposure to extreme stress. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association; 2004. p. 13–42.
    1. Vasterling JJ, Proctor SP, Friedman MJ, Hoge CW, Heeren T, King LA, King DW. PTSD symptom increases in Iraq-deployed soldiers: Comparison with nondeployed soldiers and associations with baseline symptoms, deployment experiences, and postdeployment stress. J Trauma Stress. 2010;23(1):41–51. - PubMed
    1. Lehavot K, Hoerster KD, Nelson KM, Jakupcak M, Simpson TL. Health indicators for military, veteran, and civilian women. Am J Prev Med. 2012;42(5):473–80. - PubMed
    1. Hoglund MW, Schwartz RM. Mental health in deployed and nondeployed veteran men and women in comparison with their civilian counterparts. Military Medicine. 2014;179:19–25. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

-