Demographic and clinical characteristics of the PTSD, combat control and healthy control groups
| Group; mean ± SD* | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characteristic | PTSD, n = 28 | Combat control, n = 26 | Healthy control, n = 25 | Statistic | p value |
| Age, yr | 36.6 ± 10.6 | 37.2 ± 10.1 | 34.8 ± 9.5 | F = 0.40 | 0.67 |
| Handedness, EHI percentage | 71 ± 30 | 72 ± 37 | 76 ± 23 | F = 0.22 | 0.80 |
| Education level, ISCED | |||||
| Own | 4 ± 2 | 4 ± 2 | 5 ± 1 | F = 8.72 | < 0.001 |
| Father | 3 ± 2 | 4 ± 2 | 3 ± 2 | F = 0.67 | 0.52 |
| Mother | 2 ± 1 | 3 ± 1 | 3 ± 2 | F = 1.57 | 0.22 |
| Months since deployment | 82 ± 100 | 79 ± 81 | t = −0.15 | 0.88 | |
| No. of missions (1/2/3/> 3) | 3 ± 4 (12/6/5/5) | 2 ± 1 (9/7/4/6) | t = −0.59 | 0.56 | |
| PTSD symptoms | |||||
| Re-experiencing, CAPS B | 22 ± 6 | 1 ± 1 | 0 ± 1 | F = 275.14 | < 0.001 |
| Avoiding, CAPS C) | 21 ± 8 | 1 ± 2 | 1 ± 3 | F = 140.97 | < 0.001 |
| Hyperarousal, CAPS D | 24 ± 5 | 3 ± 3 | 3 ± 4 | F = 229.67 | < 0.001 |
| Total, CAPS total | 67 ± 11 | 5 ± 5 | 5 ± 4 | F = 656.75 | < 0.001 |
| DSS | 3 ± 5 | 1 ± 4 | 1 ± 2 | F = 1.35 | 0.27 |
CAPS = Clinician Administered PTSD scale; DSS = Dissociative State Symptom scale; EHI = Edinburgh Handedness Inventory; ISCED = International Standard Classification of Education; PTSD = posttraumatic stress disorder; SD = standard deviation.
↵* Unless otherwise indicated.