Clinical trial NCT01175629: Veteran Health Study
Official title: CSP #569 - A Twin Study of the Course and Consequences of PTSD in Vietnam Era Veterans
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Depression
Diabetes
Cardiovascular Disease
Keywords: Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Depression
Diabetes
Cardiovascular Disease
Depressive Disorder
Behavioral Symptoms
Metabolic Diseases
Mental Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Lead sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 2010-08-05
Enrollment: 7568
Sex: MALE
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: All subjects are members of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry, and are males born between 1939-1957.

Brief summary: The purpose of The Veteran Health Study (CSP #569) is to better understand the mental and physical health of veterans as they get older. We are inviting approximately 10,000 members of the Vietnam Era Twin (VET) Registry to participate. As veterans approach their mid-sixties, it is important to understand the impact of wartime deployment on health and mental health outcomes nearly 40 years later.

The investigators will assess the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental and physical health conditions for Vietnam era veterans, and explore the relationship between PTSD and other conditions.

CSP #569 involves 3 phases of data collection. In Phase I, VET Registry members are invited to complete a paper and pencil questionnaire including items on physical and mental health, disability, health behaviors, demographic information and use of health care services. After completing Phase I, VET Registry members are invited to Phase II which involves a telephone interview about mental health. In Phase III, some of those who participated in Phase I will be invited to a sub-study confirming self-reported heart disease and diabetes using a provider survey.

Data collected for CSP #569 will be combined with existing VET Registry data. This will provide a rich picture of the health of Vietnam era veterans and the influence of PTSD on the lives of veterans.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All twins who are currently active in the VET Registry will be invited to participate in CSP #569.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unable or unwilling to provide informed consent

Primary outcomes:
measure: Determine the prevalence of lifetime and current psychiatric conditions including PTSD in Vietnam Era Twin Registry members who served during the Vietnam Era.
timeFrame: two years
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Characterize the physical health of Vietnam Era Twin Registry members who served during the Vietnam Era.
timeFrame: two years
measure: Characterize the level of current disability in Vietnam Era Twin Registry members who served during the Vietnam Era.
timeFrame: two years
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Seattle
country: United States
facility: VA Puget Sound Health Care System
state: Washington
Study officials:
affiliation: VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle
name: Jack H Goldberg, PhD MA BA
role: STUDY_CHAIR
affiliation: Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston
name: Kathryn M. Magruder, PhD MPH BA
role: STUDY_CHAIR
References:
citation: Magruder K, Yeager D, Goldberg J, Forsberg C, Litz B, Vaccarino V, Friedman M, Gleason T, Huang G, Smith N. Diagnostic performance of the PTSD checklist and the Vietnam Era Twin Registry PTSD scale. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2015 Oct;24(5):415-22. doi: 10.1017/S2045796014000365. Epub 2014 Jun 6.
citation: Vaccarino V, Goldberg J, Magruder KM, Forsberg CW, Friedman MJ, Litz BT, Heagerty PJ, Huang GD, Gleason TC, Smith NL. Posttraumatic stress disorder and incidence of type-2 diabetes: a prospective twin study. J Psychiatr Res. 2014 Sep;56:158-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.05.019. Epub 2014 Jun 9.
citation: Goldberg J, Magruder KM, Forsberg CW, Kazis LE, Ustun TB, Friedman MJ, Litz BT, Vaccarino V, Heagerty PJ, Gleason TC, Huang GD, Smith NL. The association of PTSD with physical and mental health functioning and disability (VA Cooperative Study #569: the course and consequences of posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam-era veteran twins). Qual Life Res. 2014 Jun;23(5):1579-91. doi: 10.1007/s11136-013-0585-4. Epub 2013 Dec 7.