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PTSD symptoms and coping before and during COVID-19 pandemic among help-seeking veterans: prospective cohort study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

M. Letica-Crepulja ,
A. Stevanović ,
D. Palaić ,
T. Grahovac Juretić ,
J. Grković  and
I. Rončević-Gržeta
M. Letica-Crepulja*
Affiliation:
Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
A. Stevanović
Affiliation:
Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia Faculty of Health Studies University of Rijeka, Department Of Basic Medical Sciences, Rijeka, Croatia
D. Palaić
Affiliation:
Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia
T. Grahovac Juretić
Affiliation:
Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
J. Grković
Affiliation:
Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
I. Rončević-Gržeta
Affiliation:
Clinical Hospital Center Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry, Rijeka, Croatia Faculty of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Department Of Psychiatry And Psychological Medicine, Rijeka, Croatia
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened the mental health of individuals around the world. Ex-combatants have been repeatedly shown to be increased risk of experiencing social and psychological problems during emergencies.

Objectives

To compare the severity of overall posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and PTSD clusters among help-seeking veterans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second aim was to identify coping strategies used and track possible changes during the timeline.

Methods

Male war veterans receiving outpatient treatment at the Referral Center for PTSD were assessed at baseline (t1=12-18 months before the COVID-19 pandemic), during the first lockdown (March-June 2020) and 12 months after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-June 2021). A total of 132 veterans participated in all three measurements. The Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and The Brief COPE were used.

Results

Exposure to COVID-19 pandemic related stressors increased over time. The great majority of participants (91.0%) followed the preventive measures. The severity of the overall PTSD symptoms significantly decreased during timeline (t1=56.9, 11.15; t2= 47.24, SD=12.87; t3= 44.1, SD=14.09). At t2, all participants still fulfilled the PTSD diagnostic criteria, and at t3, 23 participants (17.42%) did not meet all of the criteria for PTSD. The participants used adaptive coping rather than dysfunctional coping during the pandemic.

Conclusions

Despite the expectations of worsening the symptoms, help-seeking veterans with PTSD appeared to develop adaptive adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic stressors, which is in line with the results of the recent longitudinal research and will be discussed.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorderCovid-19Veterans
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S67 - S68
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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