Relationships among trauma exposure, chronic posttraumatic stress disordersymptoms, and self-reported health in women: Replication and extension

Fifty-two women who sewed during the Vietnam era were assessed for war-zone exposure, traumatic life events, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and self-reported health status. Symptoms of PTSD were examined as mediators i n the relationship between traumatic exposure and subsequent reports of hea lth problems. Results showed that PTSD symptoms accounted significantly for variance in health problems reported by women with prior traumatic stresso r exposure. When the cardinal symptom domains of PTSD (reexperiencing, numb ing, avoidance, hyperarousal) were analyzed separately, the symptom cluster representing hyperarousal accounted uniquely for the variance associated w ith health complaints, beyond that contributed by other symptom clusters. D iscussion of the results focuses on mechanisms underlying the relationship between specific symptoms of PTSD and self-reported health. Implications fo r intervention within the medical system are also considered.