Wie häufig ist eine posttraumatische Belastungsstörung bei Veteraninnen und Veteranen? Prävalenz und militärische Risikofaktoren

PTSD affects about 7% of U.S. Veterans during their lifetime, compared with 6% of adults in the general population, and is more common among female Veterans than male Veterans. Rates vary substantially by service era: lifetime PTSD is reported in 29% of Veterans from Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, 21% of Persian Gulf War Veterans, 10% of Vietnam Veterans, and 3% of World War II and Korean War Veterans. Deployment can raise risk, with some studies finding PTSD three times more likely among deployed Veterans. Military sexual trauma, including harassment or assault during peacetime, training, or war, is another important risk factor. Among Veterans using VA health care, PTSD diagnoses are more frequent than among those using community care, partly because VA routinely screens for PTSD and military sexual trauma. The figures have limitations because studies use different methods and may exclude Veterans who died before participating.