Marriage and PTSD in OIF/OEF Veterans

Marriage and PTSD in OIF/OEF Veterans PDF Author: Jessica Bergstrom
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adjustment (Psychology)
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
The goal of this study was to examine the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, coping style, anger, substance use, and marital functioning among couples (n = 20) in which one spouse was a veteran of either Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). A cross-sectional design that used self-report and clinical interview assessments was conducted. The data analyses were guided by Engel's (1977) biopsychosocial framework. Study participants identified as Caucasian (55%), Hispanic (15%), Asian (15%), African American (5%), and Native American (5%). The mean age of the participants was 37.5 (range 25-50). On average, couples were married or living as married for just over 5 years (SD=3.5). All combat veterans (n=10) in this sample were male and the spouses or partners female (n=10). Education level among the sample consisted of 60% having completed a college degree or some post-baccalaureate work, 20% completed some college or a two-year college program, and 20% completed a high school degree. Using partial correlation analyses, the current study theorized that a negative relationship would exist between greater PTSD symptoms and poorer marital satisfaction. While these results were supported among the veteran sample, these results were not indicated between the spouses. Exploratory analyses demonstrated that for both veterans and their spouses, greater symptoms of the Reexperiencing cluster were associated with greater alcohol use, and greater symptoms of the Avoidance cluster were associated with greater behavioral disengagement among veterans. Further exploratory analysis also found that the Hyperarousal Cluster was the only cluster significantly related to lower reports on marital satisfaction. The findings support previous clinical recommendations of the importance of implementing dyadic interventions involving both partners as well as treatment targeting problematic social behaviors thereby mitigating marital distress as well as symptoms of PTSD.

Marriage and PTSD in OIF/OEF Veterans

Marriage and PTSD in OIF/OEF Veterans PDF Author: Jessica Bergstrom
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Adjustment (Psychology)
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description
The goal of this study was to examine the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, coping style, anger, substance use, and marital functioning among couples (n = 20) in which one spouse was a veteran of either Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) or Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). A cross-sectional design that used self-report and clinical interview assessments was conducted. The data analyses were guided by Engel's (1977) biopsychosocial framework. Study participants identified as Caucasian (55%), Hispanic (15%), Asian (15%), African American (5%), and Native American (5%). The mean age of the participants was 37.5 (range 25-50). On average, couples were married or living as married for just over 5 years (SD=3.5). All combat veterans (n=10) in this sample were male and the spouses or partners female (n=10). Education level among the sample consisted of 60% having completed a college degree or some post-baccalaureate work, 20% completed some college or a two-year college program, and 20% completed a high school degree. Using partial correlation analyses, the current study theorized that a negative relationship would exist between greater PTSD symptoms and poorer marital satisfaction. While these results were supported among the veteran sample, these results were not indicated between the spouses. Exploratory analyses demonstrated that for both veterans and their spouses, greater symptoms of the Reexperiencing cluster were associated with greater alcohol use, and greater symptoms of the Avoidance cluster were associated with greater behavioral disengagement among veterans. Further exploratory analysis also found that the Hyperarousal Cluster was the only cluster significantly related to lower reports on marital satisfaction. The findings support previous clinical recommendations of the importance of implementing dyadic interventions involving both partners as well as treatment targeting problematic social behaviors thereby mitigating marital distress as well as symptoms of PTSD.

War and Family Life

War and Family Life PDF Author: Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319214888
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 349

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Book Description
This unique resource provides findings and insights regarding the multiple impacts of military duty on service members and veterans, specifically from a family standpoint. Broad areas of coverage include marital and family relationships, parenting issues, family effects of war injuries, and family concerns of single service members. The book's diverse contents highlight understudied populations and topics gaining wider interest while examining the immediate and long-term impact of service on family functioning. In addition to raising awareness of issues, chapters point to potential solutions including science-based pre- and post-deployment programs, more responsive training for practitioners, and more focused research and policy directions. Among the topics covered: • Deployment and divorce: an in-depth analysis by relevant demographic and military characteristics. • Military couples and posttraumatic stress: interpersonally based behaviors and cognitions as mechanisms of individual and couple distress. • Warfare and parent care: armed conflict and the social logic of child and national protection. • Understanding the experiences of women and LGBT veterans in Department of Veterans Affairs care. • Risk and resilience factors in combat military health care providers. • Tangible, instrumental, and emotional support among homeless veterans. War and Family Life offers up-to-date understanding for mental health professionals who serve military families, both in the U.S. and abroad.

Fields of Combat

Fields of Combat PDF Author: Erin P. Finley
Publisher: Cornell University Press
ISBN: 0801461189
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
For many of the 1.6 million U.S. service members who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, the trip home is only the beginning of a longer journey. Many undergo an awkward period of readjustment to civilian life after long deployments. Some veterans may find themselves drinking too much, unable to sleep or waking from unspeakable dreams, lashing out at friends and loved ones. Over time, some will struggle so profoundly that they eventually are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress Disorder (PTSD). Both heartbreaking and hopeful, Fields of Combat tells the story of how American veterans and their families navigate the return home. Following a group of veterans and their their personal stories of war, trauma, and recovery, Erin P. Finley illustrates the devastating impact PTSD can have on veterans and their families. Finley sensitively explores issues of substance abuse, failed relationships, domestic violence, and even suicide and also challenges popular ideas of PTSD as incurable and permanently debilitating. Drawing on rich, often searing ethnographic material, Finley examines the cultural, political, and historical influences that shape individual experiences of PTSD and how its sufferers are perceived by the military, medical personnel, and society at large. Despite widespread media coverage and public controversy over the military's response to wounded and traumatized service members, debate continues over how best to provide treatment and compensation for service-related disabilities. Meanwhile, new and highly effective treatments are revolutionizing how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides trauma care, redefining the way PTSD itself is understood in the process. Carefully and compassionately untangling each of these conflicts, Fields of Combat reveals the very real implications they have for veterans living with PTSD and offers recommendations to improve how we care for this vulnerable but resilient population.

A Warrior Married to His Wife and PTSD

A Warrior Married to His Wife and PTSD PDF Author: Curtis Butler
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1098023323
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Life in Baghdad, Iraq, in October 2003 and again in 2006 was like living in a Crock-Pot. It was hot, and the breeze, if you can call it that, was just as hot. We would travel to strange destinations to attend meetings, drop off supplies, or pick up soldiers. We even performed guard duty and with the scorching temperatures. The protective gear that we wore added about twenty degrees and an extra thirty pounds. The temperature was approximately 140 degrees or better. I was told to put on some suntan lotion, and I thought the officer was making a joke because I did not know a black man could get a sunburn in the desert; this is to be true. P roud T ough S trong D etermined

The Relationship Between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Support, and Dyadic Adjustment Among OEF/OIF Veterans and Their Spouses

The Relationship Between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Support, and Dyadic Adjustment Among OEF/OIF Veterans and Their Spouses PDF Author: Carolyn Weiss
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Couples therapy
Languages : en
Pages : 158

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Book Description
This dissertation examined the relationship between PTSD symptom severity, social support, and dyadic adjustment among male heterosexual veterans who served in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and their female civilian spouses (n = 10 couples). Elevated rates of PTSD, trauma exposure, and dyadic distress were found in this sample such that 80% of the veterans and 30% of the spouses met screening criteria for PTSD and over 90% of the veterans and spouses reported clinically significant levels of relationship distress. The veteran's PTSD symptom severity, particularly the symptoms of avoidance and emotional numbing, were significantly and negatively associated with the civilian spouse's dyadic adjustment. Surprisingly, group support was positively associated with PTSD symptom severity. These preliminary findings suggest that there is a clear need for an empirically validated couple's treatment for OEF/OIF veterans with PTSD and their spouses. Couples therapists can focus on decreasing the veteran's avoidance and numbing symptoms, particularly avoidance of emotional expression, as these symptoms prove significantly detrimental to the health of intimate relationships. Future researchers may want to investigate what to treat first in PTSD-positive couples therapy: the individual's PTSD, the spouse's psychopathology, or the couple's marital distress.

Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan

Returning Home from Iraq and Afghanistan PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309152852
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Nearly 1.9 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since October 2001. Many service members and veterans face serious challenges in readjusting to normal life after returning home. This initial book presents findings on the most critical challenges, and lays out the blueprint for the second phase of the study to determine how best to meet the needs of returning troops and their families.

Mental Health

Mental Health PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 172

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Book Description


Factors Related to Adaptation in the Intimate Relationships of OEF/OIF Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Factors Related to Adaptation in the Intimate Relationships of OEF/OIF Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder PDF Author: Nykeisha Nicole Moore
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dyadic analysis (Social sciences)
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
In addition, there was a significant difference on all four subscales (cohesion, satisfaction, consensus, and affectional expression) of the DAS between the two groups of participants. Fourth, in terms of participants who self-reported PTSD, tours of duty, types of relationships, and life stressors were the only variables that positively affected dyadic adaptation. In contrast, for participants who did not self-report PTSD, FILE was the only variable that affected the dyadic adaptation. These findings have important implications that highlight areas in which clinicians, educators, and individuals within the helping professions can join the Department of Veterans Affairs' initiatives to improve the reintegration of OEF/OIF veterans into their familiar roles post-deployment. Future research should explore the relationship norms pre-deployment and across relationship statutes, the identity of military intimate partners within treatment facilities, and the perceptions of treatment and dyadic adaptation after OEF/OIF veterans receive treatment in the community by civilian providers as compared to treatment in VA facilities.

PTSD, Play, and Relationship Satisfaction in OEF/OIF Veterans

PTSD, Play, and Relationship Satisfaction in OEF/OIF Veterans PDF Author: Lisa Marie Betthauser
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Iraq War, 2003-2011
Languages : en
Pages : 98

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Book Description


Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services

Evaluation of the Department of Veterans Affairs Mental Health Services PDF Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309466601
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 467

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Book Description
Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.