Distress tolerance mitigates effects of posttraumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and blast exposure on psychiatric and health outcomes.
Sarah L Martindale, Anka A Vujanovic, Anna S Ord and 2 others
PMID 37213175WHAT IT FOUND
Higher distress tolerance linked to better sleep and quality of life in veterans without PTSD.
This association was not seen in those with PTSD. Blast exposure effects disappeared when distress tolerance was considered. These are correlations from a single visit, not proof that improving distress tolerance changes outcomes.
Key findings
01The effect of PTSD diagnosis on sleep quality and quality of life was significant only when distress tolerance scores were above specific thresholds.
02Associations between blast exposure and functional indicators were no longer significant after accounting for distress tolerance.
03The study design does not allow for causal interpretations regarding distress tolerance and symptom severity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The data is cross-sectional, meaning it was collected at one point in time, so it cannot prove that distress tolerance causes better outcomes. The sample consisted only of combat veterans from recent wars, so findings may not apply to civilians or other military groups. There were very few female veterans in the study, which prevented an analysis of sex differences. Participants had to recall events from several years ago, which may introduce memory bias. The interaction effects found were small in magnitude.
Declared interests
Data were collected as part of an independent study funded by the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium (CENC Study 34).
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that teaching distress tolerance skills will improve symptoms in veterans who already have a PTSD diagnosis. The study found that the link between higher distress tolerance and better sleep or quality of life was significant only for those without a PTSD diagnosis.