Sentence completion test in combat veterans with and without PTSD: preliminary findings

Psychiatry Res. 2002 Dec 30;113(3):303-7. doi: 10.1016/s0165-1781(02)00229-9.

Abstract

This study used a sentence completion task to assess semantic choice in combat veterans. Twenty-eight combat veterans with (n=14) and without (n=14) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) filled in the final word for 33 incomplete sentences after receiving a combat prime. The veterans with PTSD completed sentences with significantly more trauma-relevant final words than those without PTSD. Findings are interpreted with respect to current language models and information-processing theories of PTSD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Arousal / physiology
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Language Tests*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Semantics
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / diagnosis*
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / epidemiology
  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / psychology*
  • Veterans / psychology*