Sensitivity of the SF-36 to PTSD Symptom Change in Veterans

The authors examined the relationship between changes in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and functioning as measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) among 167 veterans in a primary care clinic. Those who reported at least moderate baseline symptoms were categorized as better, unchanged, or worse at reassessment. The SF-36 was used to examine concordance between change in functioning and symptoms. Veterans with reliable changes in symptoms of PTSD showed corresponding statistically significant changes in functioning across health domains. Moreover, these changes in functioning were clinically significant on several SF-36 subscales and on one summary scale.