Posttraumatic stress disorder symptom expression in racially and ethnically diverse women veterans

Abstract

The number of racial/ethnic and women minorities entering the military continues to grow and more research is needed to properly assess, conceptualize, and treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in diverse women. Recently, typological approaches have been useful in revealing distinct PTSD symptom presentations; however, existing research has not examined racial/ethnic differences among women veterans. We examined PTSD symptom expression and whether it differed by race/ethnicity in a sample of 407 women veterans that were recruited as part of a larger study on veterans’ health. We conducted a series of model-based cluster analyses by race/ethnicity. Most racial/ethnic groups had between two- and four-group typologies that differed primarily in symptom severity. Latina veterans were found to have a unique eight-group PTSD typology differing not only in overall symptom severity but also in elevations of avoidance and hyperarousal symptoms. Racial and ethnic minority trauma survivors may present with a variety of posttraumatic symptom expressions. Better understanding these varying PTSD typologies will allow us to provide more tailored assessment and treatment for diverse women veterans with PTSD.