Functioning and disability consequences of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and diabetes in Vietnam era men and women veterans.

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) negatively impacts functioning and disability, particularly when comorbid with mental health diagnoses. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases the risk of developing DM and may have a particularly deleterious impact on DM-related outcomes. This study aimed to determine the extent to which PTSD and DM comorbidity was associated with poorer functioning and greater disability relative to neither or single diagnoses in older adult veteran men and women.

Method: Data came from two large cross-sectional studies of Vietnam era veteran men (N = 5,367) and women (N = 4,102). Participants completed self-report measures of diagnosed physical health conditions, functioning, and disability. PTSD and other mental health conditions were assessed via a telephone-administered diagnostic interview, and military characteristics were gathered from service records.

Results: In sex-specific weighted linear regression analyses adjusted for relevant covariates, veterans with PTSD only, DM only, and PTSD + DM reported significantly worse mental and physical health functioning and greater disability compared with veterans with neither condition. PTSD + DM comorbidity was associated with worse outcomes than DM only and worse physical health functioning than PTSD only. The pattern of results was similar for men and women.

Conclusions: Older adult veterans with both PTSD and DM may experience worse health functioning and greater disability relative to veterans with neither or single diagnoses only. Although effects were small to medium, potential clinical implications include assessment of PTSD among veterans with DM and intervention efforts that address the effects of both conditions on health and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).