The relationship between number of trauma types, resilience, and psychological symptoms in ex-military personnel from India.

Abstract

Traumatic event (TE) types have been shown to relate to adverse psychological outcomes. However, research in this area has relied almost exclusively on linear analysis and has been limited to Western countries with similar cultural values. Addressing these limitations, this study examined (a) presence and nature of relations between number of TE types and psychological outcomes and (b) minimum number of TE types predicting psychological symptoms in a culturally distinct sample of ex-military members from India. The sample of 144 trauma-exposed Indian ex-military members (Mage = 43.49; 90.90% males) completed a web-based survey. Curvilinear regression analyses indicated quadratic relationships between number of TE types and psychological symptoms (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression, and anxiety severity) and resilience. Exploratory analyses showed (a) linear relationships between number of directly experienced TE types and psychological outcomes, (b) quadratic relationships between number of Predominant Death Threat TEs and psychological symptoms, (c) linear relationship between number of Predominant Death Threat TEs and resilience, and (d) linear relationships between other TE categories and psychological outcomes. Nonparametric receiver operating characteristic curve analyses indicated that a threshold of at least 10.5 TE types provided the optimal balance between sensitivity and specificity in classifying participants with (vs. without) probable PTSD, depression, and generalized anxiety disorder. For those reporting directly experienced TE types, this threshold was 2.5-3.5 TE types. Study results enhance an understanding of psychological difficulties faced by Indian ex-military members who have experienced multiple TE types, which can inform psychotherapeutic treatments for this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).