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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

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Combat veterans and survivors of violence, natural disasters, and terrorism have often experienced disturbing events that may lead to psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). RAND research has evaluated the delivery of post-deployment mental health care to combat veterans, examined the treatment capacity of health care systems in response to PTSD, and estimated the costs of providing quality mental health care to all affected individuals.

Essay
Childhood Trauma Is More Common Than You Think. This School-Based Intervention Can Help
A program developed at RAND helps children exposed to trauma confront and subdue their stress and anxiety. The program grew out of the 1990s street violence of South Los Angeles and has since helped kids from Newtown to Fukushima. Researchers are tailoring this intervention for children in Puerto Rico whose lives were upended by hurricanes.
Apr 23, 2019
Research Brief
Standards for Delivering High-Quality Care to Veterans with Invisible Wounds
Depression, PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorders interfere with veterans' employment, family life, community engagement, and well-being. There are effective treatments but also barriers to accessing them. A set of standards can help identify providers who serve veterans and deliver high-quality care.
May 9, 2022

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Commentary
State and Local Policy Is Changing for Psychedelics. What Will the Feds Do?
Psychedelics are attracting interest as a treatment for some mental health conditions. In response, some states and cities are changing their laws and policies on the supply and use of these mind-altering substances. But like cannabis, most psychedelics are federally prohibited—raising some tough questions for the federal government.
Jun 12, 2023
Journal Article
Stress-induced Changes in Autonomic Reactivity Vary with Adolescent Violence Exposure and Resting-state Functional Connectivity
Exposure to violence during childhood can lead to functional changes in brain regions. This study examined whether changes in autonomic responses varied with whole brain resting-state functional connectivity as a function of violence exposure.
May 18, 2023
Blog
RAND Turns 75: A Look Through the Decades At World-Changing Research
From anticipating the Space Age in the 1940s to studying gun policy and COVID-19 responses in the 2020s, RAND is celebrating 75 years of research that has made a difference.
May 8, 2023
Commentary
The Ripples of War Are Only Beginning to Spread. Is America Ready?
There are now more than 1.9 million U.S. veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than 50,000 were physically injured and around 15 percent have experienced PTSD. Perhaps all were exposed to burn pits and other toxins. What are the long-term impacts of the wars on those who fought them?
Mar 23, 2023
Tool
CLARO Intervention User Manual: A Guide for Care Teams and Individual Practitioners
The Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses research study advances collaborative care treatment for patients who have opioid use disorder with major depressive disorder and/or posttraumatic stress disorder.
Mar 10, 2023
Journal Article
Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses (CLARO): Process of Adapting Collaborative Care for Co-Occurring Opioid Use and Mental Disorders
To address a treatment and quality gap, RAND researchers adapted collaborative care for co-occurring opioid use disorder and mental health disorders.
Mar 10, 2023
Journal Article
Design of CLARO (Collaboration Leading to Addiction Treatment and Recovery from Other Stresses): A Randomized Trial of Collaborative Care for Opioid Use Disorder and Co-Occurring Depression And/Or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This article describes the CLARO collaborative care for co-occurring disorders intervention and clinical trial.
Mar 10, 2023
Report
Considerations Around the Use of Intensive Outpatient Programs for Service Members Who Experienced Sexual Trauma in the U.S. Military
This report summarizes a review of clinical practices and TRICARE requirements for intensive outpatient programs to treat active-duty members affected by the mental health consequences of sexual harassment and sexual assault while in the military.
Jan 10, 2023
Report
Psychological Harms and Treatment of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment in Adults: Systematic and Scoping Reviews to Inform Improved Care for Military Populations
Researchers conducted three evidence reviews on interventions for victims of sexual assault and harassment in military settings, barriers and facilitators to accessing care, and associations between victims and specific mental health conditions.
Jan 9, 2023
Research Brief
Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault in Military Settings
Members of the military who have been victims of sexual assault or sexual harassment often experience PTSD, depression, and substance use disorders. What therapies are effective at treating these conditions? And what barriers prevent service members from getting the care that they need?
Jan 9, 2023
Commentary
Intelligence Work Is Exciting. And Traumatizing
The intelligence community needs to communicate to its workforce about the varied forms of trauma, how it affects individuals, and what resources exist to help. Protecting the intelligence workforce can help protect us all.
Nov 30, 2022
Report
Trauma in the U.S. Intelligence Community
Intelligence Community members work under strenuous conditions, face violent and difficult problems, and are bound by law to secrecy. Such responsibility heightens their risk of experiencing trauma and limits their recourse in managing it. Addressing their mental health needs is essential to their well-being and to the IC's quality of work.
Oct 11, 2022
Journal Article
Predictors of Long-Term Opioid Use Following Hospitalization for Traumatic Injury in a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Population: A 12-Month Prospective Observational Study
Long-term prescription opioid use can lead to poor health outcomes. This study identifies predictors of long-term prescription opioid use among racially and ethnically diverse patients hospitalized for traumatic injury.
Sep 29, 2022
Commentary
Setting Standards for Delivering High-Quality Care to Veterans with Invisible Wounds
Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorders are common among post-9/11 veterans and can interfere with their employment, family life, engagement with their communities, and overall well-being. A shared definition and standards for high-quality care can help organizations better support veterans.
Sep 12, 2022
Journal Article
Protecting the Mental and Physical Well-Being of Frontline Health Care Workers During COVID-19: Study Protocol of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed health care workers at unprecedented risk of stress, burnout, and moral injury. This paper describes the design of an ongoing cluster randomized controlled trial to compare the effectiveness of Stress First Aid (SFA) to Usual Care (UC) in protecting the well-being of frontline health care workers.
May 17, 2022
Report
Recommended Standards for Delivering High-Quality Care to Veterans with Invisible Wounds
The authors identified ten standards for the delivery of high-quality care for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use disorders, and mild traumatic brain injury.
May 9, 2022
Research Brief
How to Improve Long-Term Outcomes for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury
Treatment for veterans with TBI has improved since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began. But today's veteran population is more diverse than ever, and improving outcomes requires a better understanding of how TBI affects veterans' lives over the long term, what they may need as they age, and effective treatments.
Apr 28, 2022
Report
Improving Care for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury Across the Lifespan
This report presents findings from a study designed to identify the long-term outcomes of traumatic brain injury for veterans, the future needs of this population, effective treatments, and the availability of community-based resources.
Apr 28, 2022
Report
Gender Differences in Health Among U.S. Service Members: Unwanted Gender-Based Experiences as an Explanatory Factor
This report examines how experiences of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and sexual assault among military service members relate to general health and symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Apr 4, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Lisa S. Meredith

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Lisa Meredith is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research addresses collaborative care for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and co-occurring opioid use disorder (OUD) co-occurring with mental…
Nicole K. Eberhart

Senior Behavioral Scientist

Nicole Eberhart (she/her) is a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation and a clinical psychologist. Her research focuses primarily on mental health and wellbeing. More specifically, her work focuses on evaluation of behavioral health programs, programs that integrate primary and…

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