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  • Title: Trauma history is associated with psychological distress and somatic symptoms in homebound older adults.
    Author: Petkus AJ, Gum AM, King-Kallimanis B, Wetherell JL.
    Journal: Am J Geriatr Psychiatry; 2009 Sep; 17(9):810-8. PubMed ID: 19700953.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVES: To examine the physical health, anxiety, and depressive symptoms of homebound older adults in relation to a history of trauma exposure. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data. SETTING: Participants were recruited by in-home aging services case managers. PARTICIPANTS: The sample consisted of 136 older adults receiving in-home services. MEASUREMENTS: Participants completed a research battery that included the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (SCID), Modified Mini-Mental Status Examination, and Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18). Case managers provided standard assessments of health and functional status. Data were analyzed using t tests, chi tests, and logistic regression. RESULTS: Approximately half (49%) of the participants reported experiencing a traumatic event. When compared with participants who did not report a history of trauma, trauma-exposed participants were on average 3 years younger, had one more chronic medical condition, were taking two more nonpsychotropic medications, and were more likely to report poor self-rated health. Furthermore, trauma-exposed participants were more likely to experience clinically significant somatic and anxiety symptoms on the BSI-18 and were more likely to meet criteria for a SCID anxiety disorder diagnosis. After controlling for physical health and cognitive functioning, trauma exposure was still associated with psychiatric disorders and higher levels of somatic and anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma-exposed participants were younger but experienced worse physical and mental health than those without a trauma history. This suggests that trauma exposure across the lifespan could have a long-term negative impact on homebound older adults' health and quality of life.
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