Victoria L. O'COnnor

Trauma is associated with disordered eating in many populations. Military personnel, a population with strict focus on maintaining body condition, experience traumatic events at a higher rate than civilian populations; however, little is known about the relationship between trauma and eating disturbances among service members and Veterans. This analysis evaluated the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and eating disturbances in a sample of postdeployment Veterans. The effect of potential confounding (e.g., age, sex, body mass index) and protective factors (positive affect and well-being [PAWB]) was also evaluated. Participants were 527 post-9/11 Veterans (80.7% male). All participants completed the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; the Neuro-QOL PAWB Scale; and the Eating Disturbances Scale as part of a multisite longitudinal study evaluating postdeployment mental health. Hierarchical linear regression evaluated direct and indirect effects of independent variables on eating disturbances. Analyses indicated lifetime PTSD diagnosis was no longer associated with eating disturbances after accounting for PAWB (B = 0.33, p = .29). The indirect effect of PAWB on the relationship between PTSD and eating disturbances was significant (B = 0.33, 95% confidence interval [0.53, 1.17]). Age, sex, and body mass index did not alter these relationships. Results support an association between PTSD and eating disturbances in the military population that does not appear to be contingent upon demographic factors. Further, analyses suggest that PAWB may function as a key influence for positive adjustment among Veterans at risk for eating disturbances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The goal of this pilot study was to describe the relationship between early psychosocial risk (i.e., adverse childhood experiences, neighborhood disadvantage, multiple relocations) and brain health outcomes among Veterans with mild TBI. Veterans (N = 76) with mild TBI participated at an outpatient VA. This cross-sectional study involved the collection and analysis of retrospective self-report data and neuropsychological tests. Interviews and surveys included the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5, Mid-Atlantic MIRECC Assessment of Traumatic Brain Injury, Childhood Experiences Survey, Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory, PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, and Patient Health Questionnaire. Neuropsychological tests included the California Verbal Learning Test-3, Controlled Oral Word Association and Animal Naming, Stroop, Trail Making Test, and WAIS-IV subtests (Digit Span, Letter Number Sequencing). Global deficit scores were calculated. Participants endorsed a wide range of psychosocial risk factors. Cognitive functioning was generally intact. There were few significant relationships between early psychosocial risk and outcomes. Early psychosocial risk was not associated with mental health or cognitive functioning.

Physical activity may be an important factor for understanding health and psychosocial outcomes following military service. The purpose of this analysis was to evaluate the association between physical activity and biopsychosocial outcomes in post-9/11 Veterans. We also evaluated the interaction of physical activity with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and traumatic brain injury (TBI) history. Data were cross-sectional from 549 post-9/11 Veterans. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to investigate relationships between self-reported physical activity and biopsychosocial outcomes. Physical activity was significantly associated with better outcomes beyond PTSD and TBI, including depression ( B = −1.03), neurobehavioral symptoms ( B = −1.06), sleep quality ( B = −0.36), pain interference ( B = −0.18), and quality of life ( B = 1.38). Promoting physical activity could enhance mental and physical health in Veterans, independent of PTSD diagnosis or TBI history. Exercise programs may be particularly beneficial for addressing specific biopsychosocial concerns among Veterans.

Objective: The present study sought to cross validate the recently developed total score cut-off for the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and identify additional embedded symptom validity indices within this commonly used self-report depression measure. Methods: Study 1 included a research sample of 379 veterans with diagnostic subgroups of Current and Lifetime Depression and Current and Lifetime Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Study 2 included a clinical sample of 224 veterans with diagnostic subgroups of Current Depression, Lifetime Depression, and No Depression. Three embedded BDI-II symptom validity indices were examined in the total samples and subgroups: the BDI-II Symptom Severity Scale (total raw score), BDI-II Extreme Symptom Scale (summed frequency of extreme responses), and the BDI-II Rare Items Scale (summed frequency of rarely endorsed items). Validity indices from the Personality Assessment Inventory were utilized in both studies, with the Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test also used in Study 1. Results: In Study 1, BDI-II validity index cut-off scores had to be adjusted the highest for the Current Depression or Current PTSD subgroups. The cut-offs were associated with sensitivity rates ranging from 0.12 to 0.53 and specificity rates ranging from 0.90 to 0.96. In Study 2, cut-offs had to be adjusted, the highest for the Current Depression subgroup. Identified cut-offs had sensitivity rates ranging from 0.22 to 0.65 and specificity rates ranging from 0.89 to 0.95. Conclusions: This study supports the use of all three proposed BDI-II embedded symptom validity indices.

Infidelity, a betrayal within a romantic partnership, often violates a person’s core beliefs about themselves and their significant other and can influence the degree to which a person can feel safe in romantic relationships. Infidelity can also increase exposure to sexually transmitted diseases that can compromise physical and mental health. Therefore, infidelity can be judged as central to one’s identity and potentially traumatic, possibly triggering outcomes similar to other DSM-5 Criterion A traumas. The current research examines the contribution of centrality perceptions to the development of PTG and PTS post-infidelity. Bivariate regressions examined the relationships between the judged centrality of infidelity and PTG and PTS, respectively. Exploratory analyses considered the moderating role of relationship form (i.e., casually dating, exclusively dating, and engaged/married) on those relationships. In a sample of 177 adults, greater judgments of the centrality of infidelity were associated with both PTG and PTS. Results demonstrated a significant moderating effect of relationship form on the relationship between the centrality of infidelity and PTG but not between the centrality of infidelity and PTS. Moderation results demonstrated that if infidelity is considered central in a casually dating relationship, it is more strongly related to PTG than in other relationship forms. Considering infidelity as central may generate both beneficial and problematic post-traumatic outcomes. However, an early infidelity experience may provide increased opportunities for engagement in different behaviors in the future (e.g., selecting a different partner, setting different relational boundaries), which, in turn, may be more conducive to growth.