Understanding veteran barriers to specialty outpatient PTSD clinical care |
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| Institution: | 1. UCF RESTORES and Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, USA;2. VA Northeast Program Evaluation Center, USA;3. Yale University School of Medicine, USA;4. VA Connecticut Healthcare System, USA;5. VA National Center for PTSD, USA;1. Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA;2. School of Psychology, University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Dr., Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA;3. School of Medicine, Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA;4. Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System, 2400 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119, USA;5. Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA;6. Department of Psychology, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA;7. Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Porter 200, Athens, OH 45701, USA;1. Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA;2. Department of Psychology, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA, USA;3. MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;4. School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK;1. Leuven Institute of Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium;2. Maastricht University, the Netherlands;3. University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy;4. University of Portsmouth, UK;5. University de Nimes, France |
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| Abstract: | ObjectiveVeterans seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly report general and veteran-specific barriers to treatment such as stigma and challenges with navigating the Veterans Health Affairs (VHA) system. This study aimed to characterize barriers endorsed by a national sample of veterans seeking care in VHA PTSD specialty outpatient clinics, as well as to examine the impact of demographics on endorsed barriers.MethodsThis study included 17,069 veterans referred to PTSD specialty outpatient clinics in the VHA during Fiscal Year 2019. Barriers to care, demographics, clinical concerns, and PTSD symptom severity (PCL-5) were assessed at intake.ResultsVeterans (mean age=47.6 years, 83.3% male) endorsed an average of 2.39 barriers. The most commonly endorsed barriers included difficulty interacting with others (37.9%), difficulty being in public (33.8%), work (30.3%), concern for finances (20%), and difficulty getting out of bed (19.5%). A significant minority of veterans (22%) endorsed no barriers. Male sex (23.1%) and White race (23.6%) were associated with a greater likelihood of reporting no barriers.ConclusionsThese findings indicate the need for a comprehensive approach to addressing multi-faceted barriers for veterans seeking treatment in PTSD specialty clinics. Findings also highlight the potential importance of tailoring strategies to reduce barriers based on demographic and clinical characteristics such as race, sex, and degree of avoidance. Future research should seek to longitudinally examine the impact of barriers on treatment engagement. |
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| Keywords: | Veterans Barriers Posttraumatic Stress disorder Mental health |
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