Ambidexterity linked to PTSD

DANVILLE, Ill., May 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. study has shown a link between combat veterans' use of both hands and the likelihood that they will experience post-traumatic stress disorder.

Combat veterans with an extreme level of ambidexterity -- use of both hands for common tasks -- are nearly twice as likely to develop PTSD after combat than veterans who use both hands less often, according to the study published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

The study also found that veterans with extreme ambidexterity and high combat exposure were nearly five times more likely to have PTSD than those with lower degrees of mixed handedness, according to study leaders Joseph Boscarino and Stuart Hoffman, both of the Geisinger Center, in Danville, Pa.

The researchers measured PTSD and ambidexterity among a national sample of 2,490 Vietnam veterans exposed to combat.

"These findings suggest the possibility of a pre-existing biological vulnerability for PTSD," Boscarino said in a statement. "We know generally what type of soldier is likely to suffer from PTSD, before they go into combat."