Correlates of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms among Formerly Incarcerated, Homeless Women.

This was a baseline analysis of a trial, not a test of whether the intervention reduced PTSD symptoms, so it cannot show that any treatment works. The sample was a convenience sample of women from Los Angeles and Pomona, California, so the findings may not apply elsewhere. The study used a four-item PTSD screen and dichotomized the score as none versus one or more symptoms, so it did not assess full PTSD or complex PTSD. Several key variables were single-item measures, and the social frailty scale had low reliability in this sample. The multivariable model was exploratory and used backwards selection, so the retained associations may not be stable. Because the data were baseline, the direction of association is unclear; for example, no past month drug use and higher emotional support may reflect other unmeasured factors. The sample excluded non-English speakers, people judged cognitively impaired, and those needing immediate psychiatric treatment, so it does not represent all formerly incarcerated homeless women.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper does not state who funded the work.

Do not conclude that no past month drug use or more emotional support causes PTSD symptoms. These were baseline associations, and the paper did not test a treatment.