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Background: The link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and deleterious physical health consequences among previously deployed military veterans has been well documented. Research has focused primarily on investigating prevalence rates of physical health disorders among individuals with PTSD. Far less research has compared prevalence rates of specific physical health disorders among individuals with full and subsyndromal PTSD. The current study investigated differences in the prevalence of seven specific categories of physical health disorders (i.e. musculoskeletal, circulatory, endocrine, respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, and other physical health disorders) among individuals with full PTSD, subsyndromal PTSD, and no PTSD (i.e. controls)., Methods: Participants were from a sample of Canadian Forces Veteran's Affairs clients (n = 990; 96.7% men) who were previously deployed to an overseas combat theatre., Results: Logistic regressions indicated four categories of physical health conditions (musculoskeletal, neurological, gastrointestinal, and other physical health disorders) were more likely to be present among those with full PTSD compared to those in the control group. Further, five physical health disorder categories (musculoskeletal, neurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and other physical health disorders) were more likely to be present among those with subsyndromal PTSD when compared to those in the control group. There were no observed significant differences between full and subsyndromal PTSD., Conclusions: Current results suggest similar patterns of specific physical health disorder prevalence among those with full and subsyndromal PTSD, which differ consistently from patterns of specific physical health disorders among those in the control group. Comprehensive results, implications, and directions for future research will be discussed., (© 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Approximately 60-90% of the general population will experience a traumatic event during their lifetime. However, relatively few will develop a trauma-related psychological disorder. Possible psychological sequelae of trauma include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol-use disorders (AUDs). While AUDs often occur in the context of PTSD, little is known about the degree to which AUDs are attributable to specific traumatic events. The purpose of the present investigation was to assess the degree to which specific traumatic events are predictive of AUDs in people with and without PTSD., Methods: The current sample was selected from the National Epidemiological Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC; N = 34,160), a nationally representative sample of American adults. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to examine odds ratios of 27 traumatic events among individuals with and without PTSD in the prediction of AUD diagnoses., Results: Results indicated significant positive odds ratios among individuals meeting criteria for PTSD and having experienced a childhood trauma (OR = 1.40 [95% CI: 1.08-1.83], P<.01) or assaultive violence (OR = 1.41 [95% CI: 1.13-1.77], P<.01) for predicting AUDs. Also, among individuals without PTSD, childhood trauma (OR = 1.32 [95% CI: 1.23-1.41], P<.001), assaultive violence (OR = 1.42 [95% CI: 1.13-1.78], P<.001), unexpected death (OR = 1.19 [95% CI: 1.12-1.28], P<.001), and learning of trauma (OR = 1.22 [95% CI: 1.13-1.30], P<.001) positively predicted the presence of AUDs., Conclusions: Results indicate significant positive relationships between traumatic events and AUDs, particularly among individuals without PTSD. Specific associations and theoretical implications will be discussed., (© 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)