Relationship between exercise and persistent hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is an anxiety disorder that is experienced by many individuals here in our nation and around the globe (Dimassi, Farhood, Lehtinen, 2006; Kritz-Silverstein et al., 2009). The current U.S. PTSD prevalence rate is 7.8%, with estimates worldwide ranging widely from 1%-40% (Glynn, Marshall, Schell, Shetty, 2006). Recently there has been a dramatic increase in PTSD symptoms and diagnosis in our country due in large part to the record number of military service members returning back from a two theatre war in the Middle-East (Cozza, 2005). Recently, hyperarousal symptomatology has been implicated as a key indicator in the diagnosis of PTSD when compared to other symptom clusters as listed in the DSM-IV-TR (Glynn et al., 2006; Schell, Jaycox, Marshall, 2004) as well as strong predictor of subsequent expression and severity of PTSD symptomatology (Glynn et al., 2006). Efficacious treatments are needed that reduce symptoms of increased arousal quickly and with relatively few side effects. This study investigated the relationship between exercise and hyperarousal symptoms in a sample of college students. The sample consisted of 65 undergraduate students from Humboldt State University. Participants completed the Hyperarousal Scale (Cartensen, Edell-Gustafsson, Regestein, Svanborg, Swahn, 2006), which is a 26-item self-report inventory that measures response to unexpected stimuli and other behaviors involved in human physiological arousal, and the Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire (LTEQ; Godin Shephard, 1985) which was used to assess the physical activity levels of individuals over a 7-day period. Participants also completed a scale that directly reflects the symptoms as listed in Category D of the PTSD section of the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). It was hypothesized that there would be a negative correlation between an individual's weekly leisure-time exertion and reported hyperarousal symptoms as measured by the HAS and DSM-IV-TR criteria for hyperarousal (FSS) as well as group differences between reported frequency of exercise and hyperarousal as measured by the HAS and FSS. A negative relationship was found between individuals who self-reported greater levels of weekly leisure-time exertion and hyperarousal symptomatology as reported by both the HAS and FSS. Group differences were also found between individuals who self-reported exercising more often than individuals who reported sometimes or rarely/never.