How often do PTSD treatment studies include military samples?

Those who serve in the military are at risk for certain types of trauma. If military experience includes a deployment or service during a war, traumatic experiences are more common. And, military-related trauma is not limited to combat, as accidents and sexual assault during service (military sexual trauma) also occur. The willingness of Veterans and service members to participate in research helps the field learn which PTSD treatments work. At the same time, trauma and PTSD are not limited to those who served in the military. People who are not in the military (civilians or community members) live in war zones. Also, other traumatic events--like natural disasters, severe accidents, physical and sexual assault--are not military related.

The majority of PTSD treatment studies (54%) are community-based samples. Although Veterans and service members may be included in community samples, military status was not a focus of recruitment for those studies. One third (33%) of studies include only Veterans or active-duty service members.

11% of studies are "mixed" samples, meaning both military personnel and civilians are included. Only 10 studies in the PTSD Repository did not report this information.

Anyone who participates in PTSD treatment research helps those who are diagnosed with PTSD. The treatments that work best for military Veterans and service members are the same as those that benefit anyone who develops PTSD. You can learn more in our story, Which PTSD treatments have been studied?