VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP)

Investigator Access

What's Available

Check with the study contact and publications for information on a public dataset, data archive, data enclave, or website where data might be available.

Available Documentation

Dates Data are Available

Access Criteria

Study Characteristics

Objectives

• To evaluate the extent to which psychophysiological measures can predict the presence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID)
• To develop psychological and physiological tests that can provide the means to accurately diagnose PTSD and evaluate the progress of patients who are being treated

Era of Service

Vietnam

Population

Male Veterans who served in the Vietnam theater of operations between August 1964 and May 1975 and were using VA services

Study Design

Cross-sectional

Time Period

January 1990 – March 1992

Setting

National

N

1,328 participants

Response Rate

62.7%

Recruitment Method

Participants were recruited from VA Medical Center inpatient and outpatient programs in psychiatry, substance abuse, and PTSD.

Compensation

Unconfirmed

Data Collected

Data were collected on:

• Sociodemographic characteristics
• Psychosocial history
• Mental health indicators (e.g., combat-related guilt, exposure to trauma)
• Psychological diagnoses (PTSD, major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse, panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, somatoform disorder, dissociative disorder, antisocial disorder, borderline personality disorders)
• Psychophysiological response indicators (heart rate, skin conductance, forehead electromyogram, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure)

Data Collection Methods

Data were collected via:

• Structured questionnaires
• SCID and SCID-II diagnostic interview modules administered by VA clinicians
• Psychophysiological assessment conducted in a laboratory

Funding Source

VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP)

Investigators

Lawrence C. Kolb, MD

Terence M. Keane, PhD

Danny G. Kaloupek, PhD

Contact

Terence M. Keane, PhD, Terry.Keane@va.gov

Selected Publications

Keane TM, Kolb LC, Kaloupek DG, Orr SP, Blanchard EB, Thomas RG, Hsieh FY, Lavori PW. Utility of psychophysiological measurement in the diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder: results from a Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1998 Dec;66(6):914-23.

Taft CT, Kaloupek DG, Schumm JA, Marshall AD, Panuzio J, King DW, Keane TM. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, physiological reactivity, alcohol problems, and aggression among military veterans. J Abnorm Psychol. 2007 Aug;116(3):498-507.

Miller MW, Fogler JM, Wolf EJ, Kaloupek DG, Keane TM. The internalizing and externalizing structure of psychiatric comorbidity in combat veterans. J Trauma Stress. 2008 Feb;21(1):58-65.

Lenhardt JM, Howard JM, Taft CT, Kaloupek DG, Keane TM. Examining aggression in male Vietnam veterans who receive VA services: the role of traumatic events and combat exposure. J Trauma Stress. 2012 Aug;25(4):461-4.

More Information

Study summary in PTSD Research Quarterly, Vol 9, No 1, Winter 1998¹