Published online September 17 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of more than 4,000 U.S. veterans. Researchers found that psychosocial factors—including strained relationships, loneliness, childhood trauma, and unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance use and self-blame—accounted for 90% of the age-related difference in PTSD risk. The study was led by Jordan Hathorn, a former US Air Force special operations combat controller and current physician associate student at Yale School of Medicine. “I served alongside individuals who devoted every waking moment to fortifying themselves—physically, emotionally, and mentally—for the hardships and uncertainties of warfare. “These findings underscore the urgent need to address psychosocial reintegration challenges among younger veterans,” says Pietrzak, who also served as Hathorn’s thesis advisor.