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Grubaugh AL, Slagle DM, Long ME, Frueh BC, Magruder KM. Racial disparities in trauma exposure, PTSD, and service use among female veterans in primary care. Poster session presented at: International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting; 2008 Nov 13; Chicago, IL.
Objective: To compare female African American (n = 84) and Caucasian (n = 99) veterans from primary care clinics at four VAMCs on prevalence rates of trauma, PTSD, other psychiatric diagnoses, functional status, and use of VA services and disability benefits. Methods: Analyses were based on a cross-sectional, epidemiological design incorporating self-report measures, structured interviews, and chart reviews. Results: With the exception of higher rates of child sexual abuse among Caucasian women and higher rates of physical assault among African American women, there were no other statistically significant racial differences across analyses. However, some meaningful clinical differences emerged across other variables, and the implications of these findings are discussed within the context of our other results. Conclusions: African American and Caucasian female veterans do not differ dramatically with regard to the manifestation or severity of psychopathology, or in their use of relevant VA healthcare services and disability benefits. These data are important as women represent the fastest growing segment of the VA population after aging veterans. Further research is needed to replicate and extend these findings to ensure that female veterans' needs are adequately identified and met by VAMC providers
