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The impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on quality of life and health service utilization among veterans who have schizophrenia *
Author(s) -
Calhoun Patrick S.,
Bosworth Hayden B.,
Stechuchak Karen A.,
Strauss Jennifer,
Butterfield Marian I.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20114
Subject(s) - schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , posttraumatic stress , psychiatry , quality of life (healthcare) , checklist , medicine , clinical psychology , psychology , nursing , cognitive psychology
Abstract The present study examined the impact of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on health‐related quality of life and objective measures of health service utilization in 165 male veterans who have primary schizophrenia. Comorbid PTSD was assessed with the PTSD Checklist. Comorbid PTSD was significantly associated with decreased quality of life and increased medical service utilization, including increased psychiatric hospitalization and increased outpatient physical health visits, even after controlling for other clinical and demographic variables among this sample of patients who had primary schizophrenia. Veterans who have schizophrenia should be screened carefully for exposure to trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder.