Evaluating PTSD prevalence and resilience factors in a predominantly Asian American and Pacific Islander sample of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.
BACKGROUND
This study examined the prevalence, and risk and resilience correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in ethno-racially diverse Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) Veterans in Hawai'i.


METHODS
A total of 236 OEF/OIF/OND Veterans residing in Hawai'i completed a mail survey.


RESULTS
The majority of Veterans identified themselves as Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (34.6%), Asian American (29.3%), or European American (24.5%). Asian American Veterans were significantly less likely to screen positive for PTSD than Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders and European Americans (16.4% vs. 44.4% and 39.2%, respectively). Results of hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that greater scores on measures of psychological resilience and social support were negatively associated with a positive screen for PTSD in the full sample and in the subsample of European Americans. However, only disclosure norms were associated with PTSD among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Veterans, and none of the variables assessed were associated with PTSD in Asian Americans.


LIMITATIONS
All results are correlational and based on self-report measures; causal inferences cannot be made.


CONCLUSIONS
Culturally distinctive mechanisms likely underlie risk and resilience correlates of PTSD. Understanding these factors will help improve our ability to ameliorate the impact of PTSD, both within and across diverse groups of Veterans.
['Whealin|Julia M|JM|', 'Stotzer|Rebecca|R|', 'Nelson|Dawna|D|', 'Li|Fenfang|F|', 'Liu-Tom|Hsin-Tine T|HT|', 'Pietrzak|Robert H|RH|']
D000328:Adult D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001- D000346:Afghanistan D001213:Asian Americans D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007493:Iraq D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011 D008297:Male D015995:Prevalence D055500:Resilience, Psychological D012944:Social Support D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic D014481:United States D014728:Veterans
PTSD Resilience Combat Cultural norms Ethnicity Racial differences