b'Nearly 20% of Veterans Showed Decline During COVID-19 PandemicSAN DIEGOWhile most U.S. veterans main- strongest correlates of mental functional decline, tained or improved physical and mental functionthe researchers determined.a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, almost 20%Theauthorssuggested,Resultscouldhelp showed a decline, according to a new study. inform identification of veterans who may be at Thecoronavirusdisease-2019pandemichasrisk for functional decline during large-magnitude contributedtowidespreadsocialandeconomicstressors, such as national or global pandemics.stressors, along with substantial health problems,1Morse JL, Fischer IC, Na PJ, Afari N, Pietrzak RH. Functional including loss of life, according to the researchdecline during the COVID-19 pandemic among U.S. military led by the VA San Diego Healthcare System andveterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in including participation from the VA ConnecticutVeterans Study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2023 Dec;38(12):e6040. Healthcare System in West Haven. To date, how- doi: 10.1002/gps.6040. PMID: 38072628.ever,relativelyfewstudieshaveexaminedthe prevalenceandcorrelatesofdeclinesinmental and physical functioning in U.S. military veterans, an older and potentially vulnerable segment of the U.S. adult population.As of the end of April, the VA reported that more than 960,000 veterans had been treated by VHA for COVID-19 and that more than 26,000 died.Thestudyteamanalyzeddatafromthe2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study,anationallyrepresentative,longitudinal study of 3,078 veterans. Veterans were surveyed prior to the pandemic (pre-pandemic) and a year later during the height of the pandemic (peri-pan-demic). The researchers conducted multivariable analyses to identify risk and protective variables associated with pre-to-peri pandemic declines in self-reportedphysicalandmentalfunctioning, the authors wrote in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 1Results indicated that the prevalence of veterans whoexperiencedfunctionaldecline(0.5stan-dard deviation reductions) pre- to peri-pandemic was 18.1% (N = 541) for physical functioning and 18.3% (N = 547) for mental functioning. Older age, greater adverse childhood experi-ences(ACEs),andpandemic-relatedposttrau-matic stress symptoms were the strongest corre-lates of physical functional decline, while greaterSource:Functional decline during the COVID-19 pandemic among U.S. ACEs, loneliness, pandemic-related posttraumaticmilitary veterans: Results from the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2023 Dec;38(12):e6040. doi: and social restriction stress symptoms, and lower10.1002/gps.6040. PMID: 38072628.protectivepsychosocialcharacteristicswerethe 25'