Abstract
Background: Trust represents a complex emotion and interpersonal concept which assumes abandoning control over a given situation or set of circumstances, in turn yielding such control to another party. Advances in our knowledge of post-traumatic stress disorder and moral injury have underscored the need to more closely examine how trust stands to impact health outcomes in these disorders. The aim of the present study is to examine and identify relationships linking general trust with select health outcomes in a mixed sample of Veterans and Service members with a self-reported history of deployment to a combat theater and PTSD symptomatology.Methods: This study applied a cross-sectional methodology, surveying n = 427 participants recruited across six sites. This included 373 Veterans and 54 active duty Service members in the United States. Measures included demographic characteristics, combat exposure, general trust, post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology, depressive/anxiety symptomatology, alcohol use, social involvement, religiosity, and physical health. Data were analyzed descriptively as well as using Pearson correlations, Student's t-test, and multivariate regression.Results: Several significant relationships were identified, indicating an inverse relationship between trust and PTSD, depressive, and anxiety symptomatology. Greater levels of trust were also significantly associated with increased social interaction and religiosity. Lastly, no significant associations were identified with either physical functioning or pain level.Conclusion: The findings suggest that trust is correlated with a variety of health outcomes in Veterans and Service members affected by combat-related PTSD. Additional, hypothesis-driven research, informed by longitudinal data, is needed to better understand how trust stands to impact health outcomes, including the development of strategies and intervention options for repairing trust.
Highlights
Developing and establishing trusting relationships remains essential to healthy human development
Greater trust was associated with a lower likelihood of self-reporting having received a formal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and less severe PTSD symptomatology (r = −0.20, p < 0.0001), as well as less depression and lower levels of anxiety (Figure 1)
Future research should consider longitudinal studies of trust and health outcomes, developing comparative studies between combat- and non-combat-related PTSD, and seeking to better understand the role of faith in the development of trust. This cross-sectional study sought to examine the relationship between general trust and select health outcomes in a mixed sample of Veterans and Service members with PTSD symptomatology
Summary
Developing and establishing trusting relationships remains essential to healthy human development. Of note is that only a limited literature has informed understandings of how disturbed trust stands to impact the health and well-being of Veteran and Service member populations. Operationalizing military policies or directives as well as ensuring individual and organizational safety is inherently dependent on trust between Service members to adhere to a common culture of accepted practices, principles, values, beliefs, and behaviors [7, 8]. The presence or absence of trust remains a key factor in whether some Veterans choose to establish and maintain interpersonal as well as organizational relationships [9]. The aim of the present study is to examine and identify relationships linking general trust with select health outcomes in a mixed sample of Veterans and Service members with a self-reported history of deployment to a combat theater and PTSD symptomatology
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