• Charity B Breneman, Mary M Valmas, Lauren M Skalina, Yasmin Cypel, Avron Spiro, Susan M Frayne, Kathryn M Magruder, Amy M Kilbourne, Rachel Kimerling, and Matthew J Reinhard.
• Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
• J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2024 Nov 1; 33 (11): 143114411431-1441.

AbstractObjective: This analysis explored relationships between mental health symptoms and conditions and cognitive function in a cohort of Vietnam-era women veterans from the Health of Vietnam Era Veteran Women's Study (HealthViEWS). Methods: Vietnam-era women veterans completed a mail survey assessing self-reported symptom severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. A telephone-based structured interview assessed mental health conditions and cognitive function (telephone interview for cognitive status [TICS]). Participants were categorized using a TICS threshold of ≤29 to designate possible cognitive impairment versus nonimpaired. Separate logistic regression models were used to determine associations between possible cognitive impairment and each self-reported and interviewer-rated assessment of PTSD and depression while adjusting for age, education, race, marital status, and wartime service location. Results: The sample consisted of 4,077 women veterans who were ≥60 years old and completed the TICS. Of these women, 7.20% were categorized with possible cognitive impairment. Logistic regression models indicated that self-reported PTSD and depression symptom severity were each significantly associated with higher odds of possible cognitive impairment (adjusted odds ratios [aOR]: 1.03 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.04] and 1.07 [95% CI: 1.04-1.09], respectively). Women veterans with a probable diagnosis of depression had higher odds of possible cognitive impairment compared to those without depression (aOR: 1.61 [95% CI: 1.07-2.42]). No association was found for probable diagnosis of PTSD. Conclusions: Although further examination remains necessary, results suggest that Vietnam-era women veterans with self-reported PTSD and depression symptom severity or a probable diagnosis of depression may benefit from screening of cognitive function to inform clinical care.

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