Mental Health Service Utilization before and after Receipt of a Service-Connected Disability Award for PTSD: Findings from a National Sample.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To determine patterns of mental health service use before and after VA disability compensation awards for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Data sources

A 10 percent random sample of VHA-enrolled Veterans with new or increased PTSD service connection between 2012 and 2014 (n = 22,249).

Study design

We used latent trajectory analysis to identify utilization patterns and multinomial logistic regression to assess associations between Veteran characteristics and trajectory membership.

Data extraction methods

We assessed receipt of VHA mental health encounters in each of the 52 weeks prior to and following PTSD disability rating or rating increase.

Principal findings

The best fitting model had five groups: No Use (36.6 percent), Low Use (37.7 pe

SUBMITTER: Sripada RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6232413 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature