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Sexual Trauma Exposure and Basic Training Stress in Female Military Recruits: Predictors of Anxiety, Depressive, and PTSD Symptoms

Kelly MK, Vogt DV. Sexual Trauma Exposure and Basic Training Stress in Female Military Recruits: Predictors of Anxiety, Depressive, and PTSD Symptoms. Poster session presented at: Anxiety Disorders Association of America Annual Conference; 2008 Mar 1; Savannah, GA.




Abstract:

Studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between current life stress and PTSD symptoms in individuals exposed to various forms of trauma, although few studies have addressed how particular types of life stress impact the development of PTSD and other mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety. An important opportunity for evaluating the effects of different types of stress on the development of psychopathology occurs in the context of military training, where a number of performance-based stressors and interpersonal-related stressors are present. Indeed, military training has been shown to be a significant life stressor, involving intensive physical and mental challenges, adaptation to a new living situation, and changes in the social environment. Research has shown that pre-existing histories of PTSD in military recruits are exacerbated by the stress of basic training. However, little research has addressed how different classes of stressors associated with basic training may interact with sexual trauma exposure to predict PTSD symptoms and other measures of psychological health. The present study was aimed to address this gap in the literature by evaluating whether different types of stress during basic training moderate the relationships between sexual trauma and the presence of PTSD, depressive, and anxiety symptoms at the end of basic training and over a nine-month period following basic training in female Marine recruits, while controlling for other significant life events. It was hypothesized that interpersonal stress experienced during training would be associated with greater PTSD, depressive, and anxiety symptoms for female recruits with sexual trauma histories compared to female recruits without such histories at both time periods. Performance stress was not expected to moderate the relationship between sexual trauma and psychological distress experienced in either the short or longer term. Participants (260 female Marine recruits; 92 sexual trauma survivors, 168 controls) completed questionnaires on lifetime sexual trauma exposure, basic training stress, and mental health at the beginning of basic training (T1), at the end of a thirteen-week training period (T2), and at a nine-month follow-up (T3). Higher levels of interpersonal stress experienced during basic training were associated with elevated symptoms of PTSD symptoms at T2 for sexual trauma survivors compared to controls. In addition, higher levels of interpersonal stress during basic training were associated with more depressive, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms at T3 for controls compared to sexual trauma survivors. Performance stress was associated with greater anxiety, depressive, and PTSD symptoms for female recruits with and without sexual trauma exposure at both T2 and T3. These findings suggest that the negative effects of interpersonal stress experienced during military training are manifested at different time periods for sexual trauma survivors compared to recruits with no histories of sexual trauma. Further, performance-related stress may constitute a risk factor for subsequent problems with anxiety and depression both during and after basic training, irrespective of sexual trauma exposure. This research indicates that the assessment of the effects of interpersonal stress associated with military training at different time periods for individuals with and without exposure to sexual trauma is important to consider in predicting mental health outcomes. The findings also highlight the importance of addressing both interpersonal and performance-related stress factors associated with basic training in order to reduce psychological distress associated with training and trauma exposure. Additional research on the links between stress and trauma in military personnel may lead to the development of new initiatives aimed at reducing psychological distress and negative mental health outcomes over the course of basic training and following the completion of training.





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