THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN VETERANS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the association between physical activity and PTSD symptomology in veterans. Military veterans (males = 74, females = 4) were included in the study if they served, active or reserve, for a period of at least one complete contract (2-8 years). Recruitment of veterans was accomplished via word of mouth and Facebook. Participants completed an online 31-question survey, which included a demographics section, a PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist version 5) section, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). A multiple linear regression was used to predict the intensity of PTSD symptoms (as determined by the PCL-5 value) in relation to the amount of moderate and vigorous physical activity when controlling for sedentary time. The α level was set at .05 for all analyses. The regression analysis was not significant, indicating that time spent engaged in moderate to high intensity activity was not a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms, when controlling for sedentary time (R= .27, p =.094). However, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient, exploring the relationship between PTSD symptoms and metabolic equivalent (MET)x min/week, demonstrated a moderate inverse relationship (r = -.26, p = .02), suggesting that as level of physical activity increased, symptoms of PTSD decreased. Results from this analysis indicate that 7% of the variation in PTSD symptomology can be explained by variations in amount of physical activity. While this 7% difference may seem to be a modest change in the baseline, it represents the difference between clinical and subclinical classifications of PTSD in veterans. Other more common ways of treating PTSD include medication with Zoloft and Paxil. Both drugs are approved by the Federal Drug Administration for the use in treating combat related PTSD; however, neither of these two drugs have been shown to be effective in treating these particular ailments (Castro, 2014). This highlights the need for a different approach in treating veterans suffering from PTSD.