Posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters in a sample of treatment-seeking US veterans: Longitudinal associations with meaning in life and general self-efficacy

Abstract

Objectives To quantify the associations between general self-efficacy, subjective meaning in life, and posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters in US veterans, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Methods Data from a Veteran Affairs (VA) funded intervention study (n = 191) were examined. Self-report measures of depressive symptoms, general self-efficacy, and meaning in life were collected, along with clinician-rated symptoms of PTSD. Results Meaning in life was consistently inversely associated with posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms and symptom clusters cross-sectionally, whereas general self-efficacy was only inversely associated with some aspects of depressive symptoms. Longitudinal analyses further revealed that meaning in life was inversely associated with the cluster D symptoms of PTSD and the cognitive-affective symptoms of depression. Conclusions Higher meaning in life is associated with less severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress and depressive symptoms, particularly those related to mood. Additional research is needed to determine whether interventions designed to increase meaning in life attenuate these symptoms.