Table 4.
Demographic, Military, and Psychosocial Characteristics of Veterans With and Without Probable Current PTSDa
| Characteristic | No PTSD (n = 2,832), Raw Frequency (weighted %) | Current PTSD (n = 99), Raw Frequency (weighted %) | χ2 | P | OR | 95% CI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Female gender | 295 (9.8) | 16 (12.5) | 1.03 | .31 | ||
| Nonwhite race | 445 (22.2) | 30 (42.6) | 30.38 | < .001 | 2.59 | 1.83–3.69 |
| Married or living with partner | 2,236 (76.2) | 67 (61.0) | 16.14 | < .001 | 0.49 | 0.34–0.70 |
| Currently employed | 1,175 (42.2) | 30 (30.1) | 7.70 | .006 | ||
| Annual household income (vs < $30,000) | 67.21 | < .001 | ||||
| $30,000-$60,000 | 891 (33.4) | 31 (26.5) | 0.34 | 0.22–0.52 | ||
| > $60,000-$85,000 | 635 (21.4) | 14 (18.4) | 0.37 | 0.23–0.59 | ||
| > $85,000 | 888 (24.8) | 14 (6.6) | 0.11 | 0.06–0.23 | ||
| Education level (≥ some college) | 2,421 (68.6) | 83 (67.6) | 0.06 | .81 | ||
| Military branch (Army vs other) | 1,132 (38.2) | 47 (47.1) | 4.25 | .04 | ||
| Combat veteran | 965 (33.1) | 58 (66.2) | 62.55 | < .001 | 3.97 | 2.77–5.74 |
| Military enlistment (drafted) | 378 (12.0) | 10 (13.2) | 0.20 | .65 | ||
| VA is main source of health care | 442 (17.6) | 58 (54.4) | 112.87 | < .001 | 5.58 | 3.92–7.93 |
| Mean (SE) | Mean (SE) | F | P | Cohen d | ||
| Age, y | 60.22 (0.30) | 51.47 (1.34) | 40.70 | < .001 | 0.57 | |
| No. of traumas | 3.19 (0.05) | 7.76 (0.24) | 356.71 | < .001 | 1.69 | |
| Protective psychosocial characteristics | −0.04 (0.02) | −1.35 (0.09) | 199.01 | < .001 | 1.27 | |
| Social connectedness | −0.01 (0.02) | −1.31 (0.09) | 205.56 | < .001 | 1.30 |
Mean and percentage values were calculated by using poststratification weights to be consistent with the demographic composition of US veterans in concurrent US Census data. Protective psychosocial characteristics and social connectedness factor scores were mean-centered in the unweighted dataset; the mean values presented in this table are negative because they were calculated using poststratification weights. A Bonferroni-corrected α level of .0036 was used to determine statistical significance. Odds ratios were calculated at the bivariate level. Veterans Affairs health care user refers to all veterans who reported that the VA was their primary health care provider.
Abbreviations: PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder, SE = standard error, VA = Veterans Affairs.