Employment Outcomes and PTSD Symptom Severity

Abstract

A diagnosis of chronic war-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been linked consistently to poor employment outcomes. This study investigates the relation further, analyzing how symptom severity correlates with work status, occupation type, and earnings. Study participants were male Vietnam veterans with severe or very severe PTSD who received treatment in the Department of Veterans Affairs system (N = 325). Veterans with more severe symptoms were more likely to work part-time or not at all. Among workers, more severe symptoms were weakly associated with having a sales or clerical position. Conditional on employment and occupation category, there was no significant relation between PTSD symptom level and earnings. Alternative PTSD symptom measures produced similar results. Our findings suggest that even modest reductions in PTSD symptoms may lead to employment gains, even if the overall symptom level remains severe.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and employment in veterans participating in Veterans Health Administration Compensated Work Therapy

“…These findings are consistent with past research that demonstrated vocational deficits for veterans with PTSD, including veterans with combat-related PTSD [3][4][5][6]. These findings are particularly relevant given concerns about high rates of PTSD among veterans returning from current conflicts [14].…”

“…One population-based survey of Vietnam-era veterans found that those with combat-related PTSD were significantly less likely to be employed than those without PTSD and PTSD diagnosis was associated with a lower hourly wage among those in the competitive workforce [3]. In a cross-sectional study of veterans with PTSD beginning a clinical trial, increased severity of PTSD was associated with a decreased likelihood of fulltime employment [4]. Magruder et al also found an association between PTSD severity and unemployment in veterans receiving primary care services [5].…”

Assessment of posttraumatic stress disorder-related functional impairment: A review

“…Specifically, PTSD is associated with impairments in occupational and academic functioning [2][3][4][5][6], marital and family functioning [5,[7][8], parenting [9][10], and friendships and socializing [11]. Additional studies have shown associations between PTSD and objective indicators of quality of life (QOL) such as homelessness and unemployment [12][13].…”

“…Additional studies have shown associations between PTSD and objective indicators of quality of life (QOL) such as homelessness and unemployment [12][13]. Such impairments are common among populations at high risk for PTSD, such as military personnel deployed to combat [3,[5][6][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Research suggests that these impairments are currently affecting many Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom) and are therefore important to identify and treat [15].…”

Measurement of community reintegration in sample of severely wounded servicemembers

“…Data suggests that OIF/OEF service will negatively affect a far greater number of persons beyond those counted in the combat casualty statistics, with upwards of 790,000 veterans expected to seek disability benefits for service-related health problems [10]. Society's understanding of the effects of poor postdeployment reintegration stems largely from the experience of Vietnam war veterans, a disproportionate number of whom suffer from chronic PTSD and pervasive difficulties in their everyday lives, including marital and work difficulties, poor parenting skills, violent behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, involvement with the criminal justice system, suicide attempts, and homelessness [11][12][13][14][15][16]. More than one-third of homeless men in the United States are veterans [17], with an estimated 250,000 veterans homeless on a given night and more than 500,000 homeless over the course of a year [16].…”