Publication year
2015
Citation Title
Perspective of family and veterans on family programs to support reintegration of returning veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder
Journal Name
Psychological Services
Journal Volume
12
Issue Number
3
Page Numbers
187-198
DOI
10.1037/ser0000033
Summary
Understanding the experiences of and preferences for mental health care services available to Veterans and family members upon post-deployment is critical for facilitating Veterans' reintegration into civilian life. Both Veterans and family members strongly support programs that are focused on joint Veteran and family needs. Participants identified four areas of content for programming: information, practical skills, support, and perspective-taking.
Key Findings
Information specific to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and learning about Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital services and benefits were listed as critical for programs to provide. Relatedly, emphasis on gaining practical skills to handle issues regarding PTSD and reintegration was vital program content.
Veterans and family members expressed need for support during post-deployment reintegration.
Veterans and their families discussed the need to gain one another’s perspective as each felt the other group did not understand what they were going through.
Implications for Program Leaders
Create specific content for targeted reintegration programs, such as skills in fostering healthy relationships and perspective-taking for Service members and families
Include a family component and a supplemental children’s services to help with reintegration
Provide frequent social activities for families to aid with practicing interpersonal skills and decreasing social isolation
Implications for Policy Makers
Support the facilitation of long-term reintegration programs with the acknowledgment that reintegration is an ongoing process
Encourage a continuous support system from pre-deployment through post-deployment for both Service members and family members
Recommend family members and Service members engage in building communication skills in order to better understand the process of perspective-taking
Methods
Veterans were recruited through clinician referral in Oklahoma City VA Medical Center (OKC), recommendations by participating Veterans, and fliers and advertisements at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS).
Family participants were recruited only by the participating Veterans.
A mixture of focus groups and individual interviews were conducted for data collection. Separate focus groups were conducted for groups of male and female Veterans, and family members.
Participants
Participants were Veterans aged 18-65 years who served in Iraq or Afghanistan after October 2001 and received treatment for PTSD at either CAVHS or OKC within the previous 12 months of the study.
There were 47 Veterans and 36 family members (34 Veterans and 29 family members declined to participate). Most Veteran participants (70%) were male, 75% of family member participants were female.
Forty percent were Black and 38.3% White. Over half (59.6%) were in their 20s or 30s. The majority of Veteran and family member participants had children in the home.
Limitations
Information gathered from focus groups could be limited because participants might have felt uncomfortable sharing information in a group setting.
Veterans were inclined to have family involvement in the programs via the recruiting process, and might have represented a self-selection bias that may not generalize to the broader military population.
Participants were recruited from one area, so geographic differences may not be represented by this sample.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore whether and how reintegration varies geographically based on how Service members and family members prefer post-deployment program content
Investigate the similarities and differences between male and female Service members’ needs during pre- and post-deployment
Examine the experiences of children during the pre- and post-deployment in order to build effective parenting programs for Service members’ upon returning home
Focus
Multiple Branches
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Combat deployment and reintegration are challenging for service members and their families. Although family involvement in mental health care is increasing in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system, little is known about family members’ preferences for services. This study elicited the perspectives of returning Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and their families regarding family involvement in veterans’ mental health care. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted with 47 veterans receiving care for posttraumatic stress disorder at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System or Oklahoma City VA Medical Center and 36 veteran-designated family members. Interviews addressed perceived needs related to veterans’ readjustment to civilian life, interest in family involvement in joint veteran/family programs, and desired family program content. Interview data were analyzed using content analysis and constant comparison. Both groups strongly supported inclusion of family members in programs to facilitate veterans’ postdeployment readjustment and reintegration into civilian life. Both desired program content focused on information, practical skills, support, and gaining perspective on the other’s experience. Although family and veteran perspectives were similar, family members placed greater emphasis on parenting-related issues and the kinds of support they and their children needed during and after deployment. To our knowledge, this is the first published report on preferences regarding VA postdeployment reintegration support that incorporates the perspectives of returning male and female veterans and those of their families. Findings will help VA and community providers working with returning veterans tailor services to the needs and preferences of this important-to-engage population.
Abstract Document
Attach