Publication year
2016
Citation Title
Veteran couples integrative intensive retreat model: An intervention for military veterans and their relational partners.
Journal Name
Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy
Journal Volume
15
Issue Number
2
Page Numbers
158-176
DOI
10.1080/15332691.2015.1089803
Summary
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following deployment is often associated with distress, not just in Service members, but also in their partners. Service members' and their partners' PTSD symptoms were compared before, after, and six months following a couples retreat, which integrated several interventions (e.g., couples therapy, social support, yoga, massage). An array of interventions, as well as including significant others, may be beneficial for Service members' and military families' well-being.
Key Findings
Couples’ symptoms of PTSD were significantly reduced from pre- to post-retreat, with fewer participants reporting significant PTSD symptoms post-retreat among Service members (81% vs. 31%) and partners (28% vs. 5%).
Service members had more PTSD symptoms pre-retreat and more improvement than partners.
Service members had slightly reduced PTSD symptoms from post-retreat to follow-up, whereas partners improved significantly from post-retreat to follow-up.
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide classes for military couples following deployment about communication and how PTSD can impact relationships
Offer services and activities, such as yoga, massage, and relaxation exercises, that may help reduce Service members’ and families’ stress following deployment
Engage Service members in peer social support groups to discuss trauma and coping
Implications for Policy Makers
Promote new research on brief mental health interventions for military couples
Encourage collaboration between existing military programs and community organizations (e.g., Veterans organizations, service providers, faith-based programs) to ensure a wide range of support and resources are available for military families
Recommend existing military programs for Service members experiencing PTSD allow Service members to involve and include their partners in program activities
Methods
Data were from the National Veterans Wellness and Healing Center and included Veterans of any military with a PTSD diagnosis and their partners who had attended a Veteran Couples Integrative Intensive Retreat.
Retreats included traditional couples’ therapy, community and peer social support activities, psychoeducation, and wellness activities (e.g., yoga, relaxation, massage).
Service members’ and partners’ self-reported PTSD symptoms and distress were assessed and compared across three time points (i.e., pre-retreat, post-retreat, and six month follow-up).
Participants
Participants included 149 mostly male Service members, who ranged in age from 25-84 years (M = 55.52, SD = 12.87), and their mostly female partners, who ranged in age from 23-83 years (M = 52.96, SD = 12.53).
Participants were White (54%), Latino (40%), Native American (5%), and Black (1%), and 83% were married.
The majority of Service members had been deployed in Vietnam (63%), while others had been deployed in OEF/OIF (25%), the Gulf War (10%), the Korean War (2%), or World War II (1%).
Limitations
Without a control group, it is unclear whether participants’ symptoms improved due to the intervention.
Because all intervention pieces (e.g., couples therapy, social support, massage, yoga, education) were combined, there is no way to know whether or not individual pieces were effective.
It is unclear how participants were selected for the retreat, but those with symptoms and no diagnosis were selected on a “case-by-case basis,” potentially introducing researcher bias.
Avenues for Future Research
Conduct a similar study with random assignment to treatment and control groups and collect additional outcome measures (e.g., relationship quality, program satisfaction, mental health)
Compare effectiveness of each intervention component on military couples’ symptom improvement
Examine pathways through which partner involvement may increase intervention efficacy, including shared narratives and increased awareness of partners’ mental health concerns
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
Military veterans are among those most affected by posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to combat-related experiences and are often reluctant to seek long-term services. Trauma is commonly associated with distress for veterans as well as their partners, which makes it important for both individuals within a couple to receive mental health care. There are few brief programs, however, that provide these needed services for both active military and veteran couples who may still suffer from the effects of trauma. The authors provide a description and evaluation of a brief couples retreat model program aimed at reducing distress for veterans and their partners. A total of 149 couples (298 individuals) participated in weeklong retreat-style interventions. Results showed that trauma symptoms were significantly reduced for veterans, and partners reported a decrease in distress after the intervention. Although the magnitude of this effect diminished over time, there was evidence of long-term treatment effects at a 6-month follow-up. Results support the efficacy of this program, but the authors call for further research to provide additional evidence of treatment outcomes in this population.
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