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Intergenerational transmission of post‐traumatic stress disorder in Australian Vietnam veterans’ families
Author(s) -
O'Toole B. I.,
Burton M. J.,
Rothwell A.,
Outram S.,
Dadds M.,
Catts S. V.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/acps.12685
Subject(s) - offspring , psychiatry , epidemiology , depression (economics) , odds ratio , psychology , traumatic stress , alcohol use disorder , risk factor , clinical psychology , alcohol dependence , medicine , pregnancy , alcohol , biochemistry , chemistry , genetics , macroeconomics , pathology , economics , biology
Objective To assess the association between parental post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and offspring PTSD and its specificity for other disorders in a non‐clinical epidemiological cohort of Australian Vietnam veterans, their partners and their sons and daughters. Method Veterans were interviewed twice, in 1992–1994 and 2005–2006; partners were interviewed in 2006–2007, and their offspring in 2012–2014. A total of 125 sons and 168 daughters were interviewed from 197 families, 137 of which also included partners who were the mothers of the children. Statistical analysis used multi‐level modelling to compute odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals while controlling for clustering effects within families. Parent PTSD diagnoses were examined for associations with offspring trauma exposure, PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses. Results Veteran PTSD increased the risk of PTSD and no other disorder in both sons and daughters; partner PTSD did not. Veteran depression was also a risk factor for sons’ PTSD , and alcohol disorder was linked to alcohol dependence in sons and PTSD in daughters, but not when controlling for veteran PTSD . Conclusion We conclude that PTSD in a Vietnam veteran father increases the risk specifically for PTSD in his sons and daughters.