Maladaptive health factors as potential mediators for the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and cardiovascular disease: A sex-stratified analysis in the U.S. adult population

This study examined sex differences for health risk factors as potential mediators in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Secondary data from the 2012–2013 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave 3 was used. This cross-sectional survey contains a nationally representative sample of 36,309 U.S. adults (nfemales = 20,447, Mage = 47.16, 95% CI = [46.74, 47,57]; nmales = 15,682, Mage = 45.88, 95% CI = [45.42, 46.34]). Natural effect models and logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate health risk factors (smoking, substance use, low physical activity, high body mass index [BMI], binge eating, and multiple health risk factors) as potential mediators for the PTSD-CVD relationship in females and males. High BMI (indirect AOR = 1.05, 95% CI = [1.02, 1.07]) and substance use (indirect AOR = 0.93, 95% CI = [0.88, 0.98], p = 0.005) were potential mediators in females and males respectively. Binge eating, smoking, and low physical activity were not mediators in either sex. The number of health risk factors was also a potential mediator in females (indirect AOR = 1.12, 95% CI = [1.07, 1.19], p =