Third of military personnel suffer post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, study finds

A bugler plays The Last Post. Photo / Michael Craig

A third of military personnel suffer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, researchers have found.

The rate is much higher among Māori; three-quarters have symptoms of the stress disorder, for reasons that are not clear.

The survey of 1817 people currently serving and retired military personnel in New Zealand reveals one in 10 would likely be diagnosed with PTS.

The finding is similar to an earlier study which found evidence of PTS among 10 per cent of New Zealand Vietnam war veterans.

"These results suggest that the prevalence of clinically significant PTS is higher among military personnel compared with the general population of New Zealand, where rates are estimated to be 3 per cent," said lead researcher David McBride, Associate Professor in Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the University of Otago.

Many more, however, have symptoms of the condition.

"Our results are a timely reminder as we celebrate Anzac Day that support to deal with PTS is needed for a large number of New Zealanders."

The researchers identified those suffering symptoms of PTS were more likely to be older, male, Māori and have experience of trauma.

Those with fewer signs of post-traumatic stress had a greater length of service, displayed psychological resilience and had better-quality sleep, suggesting those factors could be targeted to reduce PTS military service people.

"We were trying to identify veterans with distress, particularly post-traumatic stress injury because when they go to their health providers, they may not identify as a veteran," McBride said.

The findings suggest health providers could ask simple questions, about quality of sleep for example, which could assist in caring for and improving the health of many people who have or are serving in the military.

"There is preliminary evidence to indicate that early intervention among military personnel experiencing sleep disturbance may help to reduce PTS symptoms," he said.

Developing resilience through such things as acceptance and commitment therapy might help.

"A lot of it is about values, beliefs and attitudes … Many veterans, because of the military culture, think that asking for help is a sign of weakness, which it is not."

McBride said the researchers expected social support to be a protective factor, but it wasn't.

"Veteran support is complex."

Talk therapy can help build resilience. Photo / File

Researchers were unable to explain why Māori had higher rates of PTS (78 per cent of Māori showed at least some symptoms) while results also showed military personnel did not have to be deployed to a war zone to be exposed to psychological trauma.

Despite older age being associated with increased odds of PTS, a greater number of service years was associated with reduced odds of PTS. This may reflect a resilience that develops over time among long-serving personnel, or may be because those with PTS leave service earlier.

While New Zealand Vietnam War veterans and other specific groups have been surveyed previously, this new research is believed to be the first focusing on the prevalence of PTS among all New Zealand military personnel.