PTSD detection and symptom presentation: Racial/ethnic differences by gender among veterans with PTSD returning from Iraq and Afghanistan

- We examined racial/ethnic differences in Iraq and Afghanistan veteran PTSD symptoms.
- PTSD screening results and symptom clusters varied by race/ethnicity and gender.
- A/PI women and black men were more likely to screen positive for PTSD than whites.
- Hispanic women were more likely to endorse emotional numbing than white women.

BackgroundTo determine differences in positive PTSD screenings and symptom presentation by race/ethnicity and gender for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans diagnosed with PTSD.MethodWe conducted a retrospective analysis using existing records from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who enrolled in VA care, received a post-deployment PTSD diagnosis, initiated mental health outpatient treatment between 10/01/07 and 12/31/11, and had a PTSD screen result at the start of treatment (N=79,938). PTSD outcomes were measured using the PC-PTSD and PCL.ResultsAt treatment initiation, differences in race/ethnicity and gender were found for PTSD screens and PTSD symptoms. Compared to their white counterparts, Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) women and black men were more likely to screen positive for PTSD (adjusted ORs=1.42 and 1.17, ps=.04 and <.0001, respectively) and endorse all measured symptoms (adjusted ORs=1.09 to 1.66, ps≤.000-.04) except avoidance for A/PI women and hyperarousal for black men; A/PI men were less likely to endorse hyperarousal (adjusted OR=.88, p=.04) and did not differ otherwise; and black women did not differ from their white counterparts. Additional differences in PTSD symptom presentation by race/ethnicity and gender were found.LimitationsThe current study utilized administrative data and was cross-sectional. The results may not be generalizable to veterans from other service eras.ConclusionsPTSD screens differ by race/ethnicity and gender, and further by PTSD symptoms, which can influence initiation and planning of PTSD treatment. Awareness of such differences may aid in detecting PTSD to provide care for diverse veterans.