A West Virginia University psychology professor plans to tell the U.S. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee that state veterans are prone to post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Professor Joseph Scotti was the lead researcher on the West Virginia Returning Soldiers Study, which includes information from approximately 1,000 veterans.

Scotti is scheduled to testify before the committee Wednesday on mental health issues and service access for soldiers and veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The study showed 47 percent of the participants indicated symptoms of PTSD and/or depression.

The West Virginia Legislature sponsored the study, which was conducted by WVU last fall.