Table 4.
Traumatic Experiences Reported at Time 1 and the Course of Major Depressive Episodes, Adjusted for Lifetime PTSD Diagnosis, Sociodemographic Factors, and Military Demographic Factors.
| Lifetime depression in 2002—no depression SLI [Remitting] | No lifetime depression in 2002—depression SLI [New onset] |
Lifetime depression in 2002—depression SL (Persistent/Recurrent) | Persistent depression (Ref: Remitting) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RRR (95% CI) | RRR (95% CI) | RRR (95% CI) | RRR (95% CI) | |
| Any deployment-associated traumatic experience | 1.25 (0.82 to 1.91) | 1.54** (1.14 to 2.08) | 1.67* (1.10 to 2.52) | 1.33 (0.77 to 2.30) |
| Sexual trauma | 2.75*** (1.67 to 4.54) | 1.33 (0.90 to 1.96) | 1.61 (0.95 to 2.71) | 0.58 (0.30 to 1.13) |
| Other traumatic experience | 1.78** (1.22 to 2.59) | 1.40* (1.07 to 1.83) | 2.11*** (1.39 to 3.21) | 1.19 (0.69 to 2.05) |
| Number of lifetime traumatic experiences before 2002 | 1.05 (1.00 to 1.10) | 1.08*** (1.03 to 1.13) | 1.11*** (1.05 to 1.18) | 1.06 (0.99 to 1.13) |
Note. Time 1 variables were all derived from information collected in 2002. The first three columns of RRRs are referenced to the group that never had an MDE; the last column of RRRs is referenced to the group that had a lifetime MDE in 2002 but remitted (no episodes SLI). All analyses are adjusted for age, sex, education, marital status, household income, ethnicity, military personnel type, and military environment and lifetime PTSD (lifetime PTSD diagnosis in 2002 and/or PTSD diagnosis in the interval between 2002 and 2018). CI = confidence interval; MDE = major depressive episode; PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder; RRR = relative risk ratio; SLI = since last interview (interval between 2002 and 2018).
Bold font indicates statistical significance. *P < 0.05. **P < 0.01. ***P < 0.001.