Publication year
2016
Citation Title
Experiences of military spouses of veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder.
Journal Name
Journal of Nursing Scholarship
Journal Volume
48
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
543-551
DOI
10.1111/jnu.12237
Summary
Spouses are often a main source of support for Veterans and may be strongly impacted by Veterans' symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Female spouses of Veterans with PTSD were interviewed about what it was like living with a Veteran with PTSD. Spouses may have to deal with a number of changes and stressors, including changes in family and marital relationships, daily lives and routines, and Veterans' emotions and unpredictability.
Key Findings
Spouses reported dealing with Veterans’ negative emotions and unpredictability (e.g., angry outbursts, suicidality, flashbacks) as common stressors when living with a Veteran with PTSD.
Family relationships were affected by PTSD, and spouses felt they had to keep peace between family members and protect their children from potential physical or emotional harm.
Spouses adjusted their family’s lives to cater to the needs of their Veteran, including assuming more responsibilities, helping with treatment, and changing schedules, activities, and routines.
Many spouses reported having to adjust to a new sense of normalcy after realizing that their relationship would not be the same again; for some, this included considering divorce.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide workshops for Service members and their spouses to learn about communication skills useful for discussing trauma and negative emotions following deployment
Engage military spouses in classes that aim to increase knowledge about PTSD symptoms, impacts, treatments, and comorbidity (e.g., traumatic brain injury, substance use disorders)
Offer support groups for Service members to discuss traumatic experiences and relationship impacts
Implications for Policy Makers
Recommend professional development for professionals providing post-deployment programs to Service members about the potential effects of PTSD on marital and parent relationships
Encourage integrating information about educating youth about PTSD into military parenting programs
Support programs that help military couples struggling with marital concerns, particularly for couples where the Service member is diagnosed with PTSD
Methods
Female spouses of male Veterans with PTSD symptoms or a diagnosis were recruited through social networking and participant referral from 2013-2014.
Each spouse completed either a phone or in-person unstructured interview about what it is like to live with someone with PTSD and factors that make it easier or more difficult to do so.
All interview statements were recorded, transcribed, and coded for common themes.
Participants
Participants included 14 spouses, ages 21-60 years, who were married to retired or medically discharged Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard Veterans.
Participants identified as White (71%), Latino (14%), or White and Latino (14%); the majority had been married five years or longer (86%), had children (86%), and were employed (57%).
The majority of Veterans had a PTSD diagnosis (86%), had experienced symptoms for three or more years (86%), and had been deployed more than once (57%).
Half of the Veterans were also diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury.
Limitations
Participants did not include male spouses, limiting generalizability.
Other important, untested variables (e.g., Veterans’ combat exposure, Veteran or spouse pre-existing psychological disorders or mental health treatment) may have impacted the results.
Given that participants were non-randomly sampled and interviews were unstructured, researcher bias may have influenced who participated and what questions were asked.
Avenues for Future Research
Explore whether social support from other military spouses living with Service members or Veterans with PTSD impacts the mental health and well-being of these spouses
Explore whether social support from other military spouses living with Service members or Veterans with PTSD impacts the mental health and well-being of these spouses
Compare spouses’ stress levels and well-being among families of Service members and Veterans with PTSD with and without children
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
PURPOSE: To explore the experiences of military spouses living with veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). DESIGN: Husserlian phenomenology was chosen as the theoretical framework because it allowed a deeper understanding of the unfolding of the spouses' daily experience. METHODS: A purposive sample of 14 spouses living with veterans with symptoms of PTSD participated in unstructured interviews. Data were analyzed using a modification of the Colaizzi phenomenological method. FINDINGS: Spouses recognized that the veteran was no longer the same person, with life becoming one of living with the unpredictability of PTSD. The spouses bore the burden to maintain normalcy in the family and eventually created a new life. CONCLUSIONS: Military spouses endure psychological stress and strain, while living with a veteran with PTSD. There is a need for more programs to support the resilience of military spouses. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Life for military spouses of veterans with PTSD is ever-changing and unpredictable. Practitioners need to be aware of the stress that spouses experience and develop programs and interventions that bolster the resilience of military families.
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