NUR 550 Assignment Posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder is a major public health concern. Furthermore, the condition has been recently implicated in obesity and other metabolic dysfunctions. The increasing incidences of obesity among veterans with PSTD continue to pose a tremendous threat to the realization of goals in the Healthy People Act. Currently, it is estimated that about a third of the U.S population present with obesity and PSTD has been proven to be a predictor of obesity. The study conducted by Kubzansky et al. (2014) focused on the prevalence of PSTD and obesity among the veterans in Afghanistan. Based on the study, it was apparent that the other complications associated with PSTD include high blood pressure and another metabolic syndrome. Presence of obesity among the PTSD patients leads to poor prognosis and increases the health burdens as well as medication costs.

Mascret, et al. studied older adults on their acceptance level of a virtual reality headset to determine if this type of technology could be useful in fall prevention. A link for the study is here: https://www.jmir.org/2020/12/e20691/ . The study sample included 271 men and women over the age of 65 who were able to walk independently and had never used the virtual reality headset before. They were given information about the headset. Researchers questioned perceived usefulness, ease of use, and enjoyment using a Likert scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). This scale is valid as it tests the participants’ opinions toward the device. It may lack reliability as participants may be inclined to give a higher score to appear accepting of technologies (Mascret, et al., 2020). The researchers tested reliability using McDonald omegas, a statistical technique that checks reliability. Participants were also asked to rate their confidence to perform daily tasks without falling and physical activity goals toward fall prevention using similar scales. Participants were found to have less acceptance of the device if they were more confident in daily activities. Participants who had personal goals toward increased physical ability were more likely to accept the headset. All results were self-reported, but the scales remained consistent throughout the testing.

Methodology

This section analyzes the existing studies conducted to explore the association between obesity and PSTD and how the co-morbidity affects the treatment outcomes among the veterans with PSTD. The review will focus on the studies published below five years ago. Based on the analysis, a deeper understanding of the relevance of the current study will be established. Furthermore, the existing gaps in the treatment and management of PSTD among the veterans will be explored. The articles were obtained from various scientific journals including PubMed, Sage, Google Scholars, and NCBI among others. The key terms used in the article search included PSTD, obesity and weight gain. Furthermore, a critical appraisal was conducted among the 20 selected articles. Finally, a total of seven articles that met the appraisal requirement were used in the literature review.

Synthesis of Literature

Part A: Main Components of Each Article

According to Masodkar, Johnson and Peterson (2016), there are no therapies for treating PSTD-associated obesity and this means that the realization of effective treatment and recovery of the veterans with PSTD is limited. Understanding the mechanisms involved in the development of obesity among PSTD patients is important in guiding the development of effective treatment strategies. The article is limited to the inefficiencies in the management of PSTD; though, does not provide a clear outline on how the issue can be addressed. However, based on the article, the burden of the problem in the PICOT statement can be explored.

Similarly, Scherrer et al. (2018) report that the possible modulators of the interaction between obesity and PSTD include alterations in the control of appetite hormone, altered neural and cognitive changes and disruptions in the inflammatory markers. The research findings in the study are consistent with the findings in the studies conducted by Masodkar, Johnson and Peterson (2016), which show that PSTD increases the risks of development of the metabolic syndrome and obesity. Developing programs that address the weight gain among the PSTD patients would thus serve as an important part and intervention in the management of PSTD among the veterans. On the other hand, the sample population recruited in this study was limited and thus unreliable. The article will be used in understanding the role of weight ma