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Abstract
The purposed of this study was to evaluate the impact of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on adherence to an exercise program in a cohort of older veterans. Method used was a descriptive cross-sectional analysis of data from 30 older veterans participating in a study of home exercise monitoring. Participants were screened for depression and PTSD, and their one-month and eleven-week exercise adherence rates were obtained through participants’ daily reports of exercise performance. Participants with both depression and/or PTSD had lower one-month and eleven-week exercise adherence rates compared to participants without these conditions. Veterans who screened positive for both depression and PTSD had the lowest rates of exercise adherence compared to those with only depression or those with neither PTSD nor depression. Three out of four subjects with depression-PTSD comorbidity preferred exercising alone, whereas 77% of subjects without depression-PTSD comorbidity preferred exercising with others. Depression and PTSD may influence an individual's exercise adherence, as well as the types of exercise veterans choose. These results have implications for structuring exercise programs for older veterans with depression and PTSD to maximize exercise adherence.
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Service, Washington DC, grant #E4204-R. The authors derive no financial benefit from this manuscript.