Self-reported health outcomes of veterans with prostate cancer: The impact of PTSD or PTSD-like symptoms.

Abstract

e16589 Background: The impact of PTSD on the health of veterans with prostate cancer is unknown. Methods: From September 2015 to October 2016, patients with prostate cancer at a Veterans Administration Hospital completed self-report surveys assessing their overall health status. Survey findings for patients with PTSD were compared to those without PTSD. Patients were considered PTSD+ if they had a diagnosis of PTSD in their Electronic Medical Record (EMR) or scored ≥50 on the PTSD Checklist—Civilian Version (PCL-C). Health outcomes included scores on the following measures: VR-36 (Physical Component Score [PCS] and Mental Component Score [MCS]), Beck Depression Index (BDI), Beck Anxiety Index (BAI), and Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: A total of 104 veterans (18 PTSD+) completed all surveys. The average age was 74.6 ±7.8. 82.7% of patients were Caucasian. PTSD+ Veterans were significantly younger (p<0.001). No PTSD-related differences were found for race/ethnicity, BMI, or VR-36 PCS scores. PTSD+ patients had lower overall VR-36 MCS scores (36.9±12.8 vs. 52.7±10.5; p<0.001), and higher Pain VAS scores (3.9±2.6 vs. 2.1±2.2; p<0.01). PTSD+ patients were more likely to meet criteria for depression (61.1% vs. 8.1%; p<0.01) and anxiety (55.6% vs. 4.7%; p<0.01), and to have a history of suicidality (18.75% vs. 0.00%; p<0.01). Conclusions: Compared to PTSD- veterans with prostate cancer, PTSD+ patients were more likely to self-report increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, and pain as well as overall poorer mental health status. Further research is warranted to identify opportunities to improve mental health care for PTSD+ veterans with prostate cancer. [Table: see text]