Childhood trauma, loneliness, social support, and PTSD/C-PTSD in lone and non-lone soldiers during the Israel-Hamas war

Abstract:Background: Childhood trauma is a form of complex trauma that impacts a broad range of biopsychosocial constructs, including a possible PTSD or C-PTSD diagnosis. Complex trauma is different than a ‘simple’ trauma in that its cause is chronic, repetitive, long-lasting and/or occurring in early childhood or associated with caregivers or someone the child trusts. When complex trauma occurs in the form of childhood trauma, it can lead to long-term difficulties with creating and maintaining social relationships, leading to trust difficulties, social difficulties, and other interpersonal struggles, further complicating traditional PTSD diagnostic symptoms. Objective: This dissertation examined the relationship between childhood trauma, loneliness, social struggles and social support, and both PTSD and/or CPTSD outcomes in Israeli Lone Soldiers. Israeli Lone Soldiers are soldiers who are serving without family support in Israel. This study aimed to replicate previous findings while exploring whether there is a relationship between childhood trauma, loneliness, social support, and PTSD and/or C-PTSD in Lone Soldiers. Hypotheses: 1. Lone Soldiers would have significantly higher scores on all measures of childhood trauma symptoms, loneliness, and PTSD/C-PTSD scores when compared with Non-Lone Soldiers; 2. Social support and loneliness would mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD/C-PTSD in soldiers with a history of childhood trauma. Method: The sample included 576 soldiers with inconsistent completion rates across items. There were 104 Lone Soldiers, 250 Non-Lone Soldiers, 9 Used to Be Lone Soldiers, and 6 Should be Lone Soldiers who thought that they met the definition but who were not formally recognized as Lone Soldiers at the time of data collection. The remaining soldiers did not complete this item or disengaged from the study. Of those, 271 were active-duty combat soldiers, 96 were active-duty non-combat soldiers, and 67 were active-duty reservists. There were 256 male soldiers, 110 female soldiers. Survey measures were administered in-person via printed surveys and online via Qualtrics and assessed childhood trauma histories, loneliness, military trauma experiences, social support, and PTSD/C-PTSD symptomatology. Results: Lone Soldiers reported significantly higher levels of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect, as well as significantly higher levels of current loneliness, PTSD, and C-PTSD scores when compared to Non-Lone Soldiers. Over 70% of Lone Soldiers met criteria for PTSD and C-PTSD. The mediation analysis found that loneliness, but not social support, mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and PTSD/C-PTSD in Lone Soldiers. This suggests that loneliness plays an important role in the symptom severity seen in Lone Soldiers with childhood trauma histories. Conclusion: Lone Soldiers have greater mental health needs than Non-Lone Soldiers. Future research should explore the impact of different types of social support on both PTSD and C-PTSD outcomes and create targeted interventions to reduce loneliness and to increase social support. Additionally, longitudinal studies are needed to better understand relationships between childhood trauma, loneliness, social support, and PTSD/C-PTSD symptoms.