Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Chacko, Thomas P

Titel

Co-Occurrence of PTSD, Sleep Disorders, Eating Disorders and Obesity among Veterans: A Latent Variable Approach

Ort / Verlag

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Literature has consistently shown that compared to general population, military veterans have higher prevalence of PTSD, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and overweight/obesity. The current study examines the effect of PTSD on obesity with a serial mediation of sleep disorders and eating disorders in a sample of Vietnam Veterans (deployed in Vietnam or elsewhere during Vietnam Era). Eligible Veterans completed a battery of self-report questionnaires electronically or on paper that assessed domains including sleep disorders, disordered eating, PTSD, and obesity. The average age of participants (N=300) was 74.22 years (SD=3.5), and participants reported diverse backgrounds including race/ethnicity, gender, and income. As expected, participants’ estimated body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) and perceived BMI (based on body silhouettes) were significantly correlated (r = .695), and both the BMI scores were significantly associated with various eating disorder indices (e.g., eating disorder diagnostic scale: r = .35 and emotional overeating: r = .284) as well as sleeping disorders (e.g., obstructive sleep apnea: r = .54 and insomnia: r = .244). PTSD was significantly positively correlated with various eating disorders and sleep disorders (rrange = .28 to .69). PTSD had significant correlations with depression (r = .72) and nightmare disorder (r = .69), but significant inverse association with social support (r = -.295). Contrary to expectations, PTSD and Obesity were not statistically highly correlated (estimated BMI: r = .099, p = >.05; and perceived BMI: r = .133, p = <.05). Because a fundamental aim of subsequent mediation models was to explain pathways between PTSD and Obesity, these null associations between PTSD and Obesity influenced subsequent model results and yielded inconsistent findings. Clinical and methodological implications of the findings are discussed building upon the observed associations between Obesity and PTSD, respectively, with eating disorders and sleeping disorders in this diverse sample of veterans.