Korean J Psychosom Med.  2011 Dec;19(2):83-91.

The Relationship between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and the Quality of Life among the Vietnam War Veterans

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul Veterans Hospital, Seoul, Korea. drsoh@hanmail.net

Abstract


OBJECTIVES
Posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) has devastating effects on multiple aspects of the quality of life(QoL). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the QoL between PTSD group and non-PTSD group, and identify the variables affecting the QoL of the Vietnam War veterans.
METHODS
We recruited 39 veterans with PTSD and 43 veterans without PTSD, all of whom had deployed to the Vietnam War. We used the Korean version of Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Plus, the Korean version of Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, Combat Exposure Scale and the Korean version of World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument abbreviated version. We used independent samples t-test to identify the differences between PTSD and non-PTSD group in each domains of the quality of life. We also used stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to figure out the variables affecting the QoL of the Vietnam War veterans.
RESULTS
In the PTSD group, all domains of the QoL and the QoL total score(p<0.01) were significantly lower than those in the non-PTSD group. In the Vietnam War veterans, PTSD, major depressive disorder and education levels were the variables affecting the QoL. Among these, PTSD uniquely explained the QoL of the overall and general health(beta=-1.411, R2=0.180), the physical health domain(beta=-2.806, R2=0.089) and the total score (beta=-11.479, R2=0.104).
CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that among the Vietnam War veterans, the QoL of the PTSD group is significantly lower than that of the non-PTSD group. Among the combat exposed veterans, PTSD may be one of the main reasons that affect the multiple domains of the QoL.

Keyword

PTSD; Quality of life; Veterans

MeSH Terms

Depressive Disorder, Major
Humans
Linear Models
Quality of Life
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Veterans
Vietnam
World Health Organization
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