Mental Health and Psychosocial Functioning in Recently Separated U.S. Women Veterans: Trajectories and Bi-Directional Relationships

Karen A. Lawrence, Dawne Vogt, Adam J. Dugan, Shawn Nigam, Emily Slade and Brian N. Smith
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Karen A. Lawrence: College of Social Work, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
Dawne Vogt: National Center for PTSD Women’s Health Sciences Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA
Adam J. Dugan: Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Shawn Nigam: Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Emily Slade: Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Brian N. Smith: National Center for PTSD Women’s Health Sciences Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 3, 1-15

Abstract: Prior research on the relationship between veterans’ mental health and psychosocial functioning has primarily relied on male samples. Here, we investigated prospective longitudinal relationships between mental health and psychosocial functioning in 554 female Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans who were surveyed three times between two- and seven-years following separation from service. Mixed effects modeling revealed that increasing depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity predicted declines in work functioning. Increasing PTSD severity predicted declining parental functioning and worsening depression predicted a decline in relationship functioning. In turn, decreased work and intimate relationship functioning predicted increased PTSD and depression symptom severity suggesting bi-directional effects between mental health and psychosocial functioning. An examination of the effect of deployment stressors on psychosocial functioning revealed that deployment sexual harassment was the strongest predictor of decreased psychosocial functioning across all domains. Evidence for the reciprocal nature of relationships between mental health and psychosocial functioning underscore the need for treatment targeted at PTSD and depression, as well as work and relationship functioning to improve outcomes for women veterans.

Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder; depressive disorder; sexual harassment; veterans’ health; occupational health; functional impairment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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