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Description: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense (DoD) worked together to revise the 2017 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder. This article summarizes the 2023 clinical practice guideline (CPG) and its development process, focusing on assessments and treatments for which evidence was sufficient to support a recommendation for or against., Methods: Subject experts from both departments developed 12 key questions and reviewed the published literature after a systematic search using the PICOTS (population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, timing of outcomes measurement, and setting) method. The evidence was then evaluated using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) method. Recommendations were made after consensus was reached; they were based on quality and strength of evidence and informed by other factors, including feasibility and patient perspectives. Once the draft was peer reviewed by an external group of experts and their inputs were incorporated, the final document was completed., Recommendations: The revised CPG includes 34 recommendations in the following 5 topic areas: assessment and diagnosis, prevention, treatment, treatment of nightmares, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with co-occurring conditions. Six recommendations on PTSD treatment were rated as strong. The CPG recommends use of specific manualized psychotherapies over pharmacotherapy; prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing psychotherapy; paroxetine, sertraline, or venlafaxine; and secure video teleconferencing to deliver recommended psychotherapy when that therapy has been validated for use with video teleconferencing or when other options are unavailable. The CPG also recommends against use of benzodiazepines, cannabis, or cannabis-derived products. Providers are encouraged to use this guideline to support evidence-based, patient-centered care and shared decision making to optimize individuals' health outcomes and quality of life., Competing Interests: Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-2757.

Introduction: The National Guard (NG) served as a critical component of the USA's response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, while concurrently managing their personal responses to the pandemic. Determining whether the activation of NG service members in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a greater psychological strain can identify NG's needs for mental health support., Materials and Methods: We surveyed 3993 NG unit (NGU) service members (75% Army NG, 79% enlisted, 52% 30-49 years old, and 81% males) during the COVID-19 pandemic, with surveys administered between August and November 2020. Almost half (46%) of NGU service members reported being activated in response to COVID-19 (mean activation length = 18.6 weeks). Activated service members completed the survey approximately 2 to 3 months post-activation. Surveys assessed demographics, service-related characteristics, unit cohesion and positive leadership skills (leadership), and COVID-19 activation, and outcomes including probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), clinically significant anxiety and depression, and anger. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD., Results: In all, 9.7% met the criteria for probable PTSD, 7.6% reported clinically significant anxiety and depression, and 13.2% reported feeling angry/anger outbursts. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for demographic and service-related characteristics, indicated that COVID-19 activation was not associated with a greater risk of PTSD, anxiety and depression, or anger. Regardless of activation status, NGU service members with low levels of unit cohesion and leadership were more likely to report PTSD and anger, and low levels of unit cohesion were associated with clinically significant anxiety and depression., Conclusions: COVID-19 activation did not increase the risk of mental health difficulties among NGU service members. However, low levels of unit cohesion were associated with the risk of PTSD, anxiety and depression, and anger, and low levels of leadership were associated with the risk of PTSD and anger. The results suggest a resilient psychological response to COVID-19 activation and the potential for strengthening all NG service members through enhancing unit cohesion and leadership support. Future research on specific activation exposures, including the type of work tasks in which service members are engaged, particularly those associated with high-stress work conditions, is needed to help better understand their activation experience and how it may influence post-activation responses., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2023. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.)

Importance: Physicians are exposed to traumatic events during their work, but the impact and outcomes of these exposures are understudied., Objective: To determine the prevalence and associations of work-related trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among a cohort of resident physicians in their internship year of training., Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study involved physicians entering internship at US residency programs nationwide in 2018. Participants completed a baseline survey 1 to 2 months before commencing internship, as well as follow-up surveys at 4 time points during internship. Statistical analysis was performed from April 2020 to January 2021., Exposures: Twelve months of internship., Main Outcomes and Measures: Prevalence of work-related trauma and prevalence of PTSD among those who experienced work-related trauma. Trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms were assessed using the Primary Care PTSD Screen for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (PC-PTSD-5). Risk factors assessed included depression, anxiety, early family environment, stressful life experiences, medical specialty, hours worked, and concern about medical errors., Results: Among 1134 interns who completed the PC-PTSD-5 at month 12 of internship, 665 (58.6%) were female and 695 (61.6%) were non-Hispanic White; the mean (SD) age was 27.52 (2.50) years. There were 640 interns (56.4%) who reported work-related trauma exposure; among these interns with trauma exposure, 123 (19.0%) screened positive for PTSD. Overall, 123 of 1134 training physicians (10.8%) screened positive for PTSD by the end of internship year, as compared with a 12-month PTSD prevalence rate of 3.6% in the general population. Multivariable logistic regression analyses, adjusting for demographic characteristics, indicated that risk factors associated with trauma exposure included non-Hispanic White race/ethnicity (odds ratio [OR], 1.51 [95% CI, 1.14-2.01]; P = .004), more hours worked (OR, 1.01 [95% CI, 1.00-1.03]; P = .03), early family environment (OR, 1.03 [95% CI, 1.01-1.05]; P < .001), and stressful life experiences at baseline (OR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.06-2.01]; P = .02). Risk factors associated with PTSD were being unmarried (OR, 2.00 [95% CI, 1.07-3.73]; P = .03) and non-Hispanic White (OR, 1.77 [95% CI, 1.01-3.11]; P = .05), concern about medical errors (OR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.00-1.46]; P = .05), stressful life experiences during internship (OR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.14-1.81]; P = .002), depression at month 12 of internship (OR, 2.52 [95% CI = 1.36-4.65], P = .003), and anxiety at month 12 of internship (OR, 2.14, [95% CI, 1.13-4.04]; P = .02)., Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that work-related PTSD was 3 times more prevalent among intern physicians than the general population. These findings suggest that effective interventions to reduce trauma exposure and mitigate the effects of trauma are needed.

Objective: Community characteristics, such as perceived collective efficacy, a measure of community strength, can affect mental health outcomes following disasters. We examined the association of perceived collective efficacy with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and frequent mental distress (14 or more mentally unhealthy days in the past month) following exposure to the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons., Methods: Participants were 1486 Florida Department of Health workers who completed anonymous questionnaires that were distributed electronically 9 months after the 2005 hurricane season. Participant ages ranged from 20 to 79 years (mean, 48; SD, 10.7), and the majority were female (79%), white (75%), and currently married (64%). Fifty percent had a BA/BS degree or higher., Results: In 2 separate logistic regression models, each adjusted for individual sociodemographics, community socioeconomic characteristics, individual injury/damage, and community storm damage, lower perceived collective efficacy was significantly associated with a greater likelihood of having PTSD (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.96), and lower collective efficacy was significantly associated with frequent mental distress (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.96)., Conclusions: Programs enhancing community collective efficacy may be a significant part of prevention practices and possibly lead to a reduction in the rate of PTSD and persistent distress postdisaster. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2019;13:44-52).

Objective: For over 3 weeks in October 2002, a series of sniper attacks in the Washington, DC, area left 10 people dead and 3 wounded. This study examined the relationship of distress associated with routine activities and perceived safety to psychological and behavioral responses., Methods: Participants were 1238 residents of the Washington, DC, metropolitan area (aged 18 to 90 years, mean=41.7 years) who completed an Internet survey including the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and items pertaining to distress related to routine activities, perceived safety, and alcohol use. Data were collected at one time point approximately 3 weeks after the first sniper shooting and before apprehension of the suspects. Relationships of distress and perceived safety to post-traumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and increased alcohol use were examined by using linear and logistic regression analyses., Results: Approximately 8% of the participants met the symptom criteria for probable post-traumatic stress disorder, 22% reported mild to severe depression, and 4% reported increased alcohol use during the attacks. Distress related to routine activities and perceived safety were associated with increased post-traumatic stress and depressive symptoms and alcohol use., Conclusion: Distress and perceived safety are associated with specific routine activities and both contribute to psychological and behavioral responses during a terrorist attack. These findings have implications for targeted information dissemination and risk communication by community leaders.