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. Depression and Anxiety 16:64–70, 2002.