Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are uniquely associated with disability and life dissatisfaction in post-9/11 veterans

Veterans who served in post-9/11 conflicts and experience deployment trauma sequelae frequently endorse disability and dissatisfaction with life. Although correlated, disability and life dissatisfaction represent distinct constructs with separate implications for quality of life. We examined associations between deployment trauma sequelae, disability and life dissatisfaction in 288 post-9/11 Veterans. Participants completed assessments of psychiatric, somatic and social functioning. Self-reports evaluating disability and life dissatisfaction were used to group participants based on established criteria (i.e., Disability and Dissatisfaction, Disability Only, Dissatisfaction Only, or No Disability or Dissatisfaction). Multinomial logistic regressions revealed that greater post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptom severity were independently associated with increased odds of being in the Disability and Dissatisfaction group, the Disability Only group and the Dissatisfaction Only group, relative to the No Disability or Dissatisfaction group. Number of prior mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) was not associated with disability or dissatisfaction after accounting for other trauma sequelae. Social support attenuated the relationship between depression and membership in the Disability and Dissatisfaction group. Participants who reported greater dissatisfaction than disability endorsed greater depression and mTBI frequency. Overall, PTSD and depression convey a heightened risk of both disability and life dissatisfaction, while social support may be protective.