Authors
Judith Harbertson, Cynthia A LeardMann, Toni Rose T Geronimo-Hara, Isabel G Jacobson, Felicia R Carey, Crystal L Lewis, Neika Sharifian, Sheila F Castañeda, Erin L Richard, Nicole Riedel, Aaron I Schneiderman, Edward J Boyko, Rudolph P Rull
Published in
Journal of affective disorders. Pages 122338. Jul 31, 2026. Epub Jul 31, 2026.
Abstract
Approximately one in five veterans may develop a mental health condition, though longitudinal prevalence estimates among post-9/11 veterans are limited. This study examined two decades (2001-21) of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression data from the Millennium Cohort Study. Eligible participants were actively serving at baseline and separated before the 2019-21 follow-up survey (n = 133,575). Probable PTSD (PTSD Checklist) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) were assessed. Age- and sex-standardized prevalence estimates for PTSD, depression, and comorbid PTSD/depression (a four-level, mutually exclusive variable) were calculated for six time points. PTSD increased approximately five-fold (5.2 to 25.2 cases/100 persons) and depression four-fold (3.6 to 15.5 cases/100 persons). For the co-occurring PTSD/depression outcome, a two-fold increase was observed for depression only (1.5 to 2.7 cases/100 persons), while increases for PTSD only (3.1 to 12.4 cases/100 persons), and comorbid PTSD/depression (2.0 to 12.7 cases/100 persons) were four- and six-fold, respectively. In this population-based study, prevalence estimates of PTSD and depression increased over time, with larger increases attributable to PTSD and co-occurring PTSD/depression. These pronounced increases in prevalence estimates warrant consideration for expansion of mental health screening and treatment services among post-9/11 veterans.
PMID:
42537813
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 01 Aug 2026.
Read full publication at:
Please sign in
to see all details.
Advertisement
Stats
- Recommendations n/a n/a positive of 0 vote(s)
- Views 26
- Comments 0