Etiology of Reported Trauma and Assessment Methods
| Combat Exposed | Noncombat Exposed | Total | Combat vs. Noncombat | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nature of trauma | (n = 38) | (n = 62) | (n = 104) | χ2 = 132.81, df = 4, p = <.0001* |
| Combat | 100 (38) | 0 | 37 (38) | |
| Accident | 0 | 8 (5) | 5 (5) | |
| Violence victim | 0 | 37 (23) | 25 (26) | |
| Witness | 0 | 23 (14) | 14 (15) | |
| Sexual/physical abuse | 0 | 32 (20) | 19 (20) | |
| Physically injured by trauma† | (n = 36) | (n = 43) | (n = 79) | χ2 = 2.1, df = 1, p = .149 |
| Yes | 22 (8) | 34 (16) | 30 (24) | |
| No | 78 (28) | 66 (27) | 70 (55) | |
| TBI Sustained | (n = 36) | (n = 43) | (n = 79) | χ2 = 8.5, df = 1, p = .0036‡ |
| Yes | 17 (6) | 9 (4) | 13 (10) | |
| No | 83 (30) | 82 (35) | 82 (65) | |
| Don't know | 0 | 9 (4) | 5 (4) | |
| Assessment of reliability | (n = 38) | (n = 58) | (n = 98) | χ2 = 6.07, df = 2, p = .048* |
| Accurate reporter | 76 (29) | 52 (30) | 60 (59) | |
| Exaggerating | 13 (5) | 26 (15) | 22 (21) | |
| Malingering | 11 (4) | 22 (13) | 18 (18) | |
| Structured assessment of PTSD used§ | (n = 38) | (n = 58) | (n = 100) | χ2 = .159, df = 1, p = .69 |
| 16 (6) | 19 (11) | 18 (18) | ||
| Persons interviewed‖ | (n = 36) | (n = 58) | (n = 94) | |
| Family members | 44 (16) | 36 (21) | 39 (37) | χ2 = .632, df = 1, p = .427 |
| Spouse/partner | 22 (8) | 16 (9) | 18 (17) | χ2 = .674, df = 1, p = .412 |
| Friends | 19 (7) | 9 (5) | 13 (12) | χ2 = 2.34, df = 1, p = .126 |
| Witnesses of trauma | 6 (2) | 16 (9) | 12 (11) | χ2 = 2.13, df = 1, p = .144 |
| Other¶ | 33 (12) | 19 (11) | 24 (23) | χ2 = 2.48, df = 1, p = .115 |
| None | 42 (15) | 57 (33) | 53 (50) | χ2 = 2.06, df = 1, p = .151 |
| Documents reviewed‖ | (n = 36) | (n = 58) | (n = 94) | |
| Health records | 81 (29) | 88 (51) | 85 (80) | χ2 = 0.953, df = 1, p = .329 |
| Criminal records | 50 (18) | 62 (36) | 61 (57) | χ2 = 1.32, df = 1, p = .250 |
| Military records | 67 (24) | 9 (5) | 31 (29) | χ2 = 35.1, df = 1, p < .0001 |
| Employment records | 28 (10) | 28 (16) | 30 (28) | χ2 = .0004, df = 1, p = .984 |
| Other# | 67 (24) | 64 (37) | 65 (61) | χ2 = .081, df = 1, p = .777 |
| None | 8 (3) | 2 (1) | 4 (4) | χ2 = 2.38, df = 1, p = .155** |
Data are expressed as the percentage of the group of respondents (n).
↵* Log-linear regression.
↵† Does not include TBI.
↵‡ Chi square test, excluding “don't know” responses.
↵§ SCID, CAPS, and PTSD checklist.
↵‖ Respondents instructed to choose as many categories as applicable.
↵¶ Employer or coworkers, other military personnel, schoolmates, law enforcement, Catholic Archdiocese, prior psychiatric/medical providers, crime witnesses (some categories provided by respondents).
↵# Past litigation records, photographs, school records, workers compensation records, child protective services records, police reports, social security reports, defendant personal writings, jail records, police interrogation videos (some categories provided by respondents).
↵** Fisher's exact test.