Replication and expansion of findings related to racial differences in veterans with combat-related PTSD

Abstract

Racial differences in those seeking treatment at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment program were examined. One hundred eleven (71 Caucasian and 40 African American) veterans were compared on both self-report measures and interview measures of PTSD, depression, dissociation, and general psychopathology. Participants completed the following self-report measures: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Mississippi Combat PTSD Scale, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Participants also completed the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS-1), which is a structured interview for PTSD, and completed a non-structured clinical interview. The two groups did not differ on measured demographic variables, nor were there significant differences on self-report or interview measures of anxiety, depression, or PTSD symptomatology. Contrary to expectation, groups did not differ on self-report measures of dissociation, paranoia, or schizophrenia. African Americans were significantly more likely to endorse items of bizarre mentation from the MMPI-2. These results suggest that African American and Caucasian veterans with combat-related PTSD do not differ with regard to manifestation or severity of psychopathology.