Publication year
2005
Citation Title
Mental health needs of cohabiting partners of Vietnam veterans with combat-related PTSD.
Journal Name
Psychiatric Services
Journal Volume
56
Issue Number
9
Page Numbers
1150-1152
DOI
10.1176/appi.ps.56.9.1150
Summary
Cohabitating female partners of male combat Veterans who were receiving outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment at two Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers completed a telephone survey to assess partner treatment needs and current rates of treatment use. Although most women rated individual therapy, family therapy, and women-only groups to help cope with a partner with PTSD as highly important, only slightly more than one-quarter of the women had received any mental health care in the previous six months.
Key Findings
Having access to individual therapy to cope was considered extremely important for 64% of participants.
Seventy-eight percent of partners indicated that family therapy was extremely or very important.
Twenty-eight percent of partners had received mental health care in the previous six months, although services received were minimal (one or two encounters) for 40% of partners.
Regarding desired services, 54% of partners requested a women's only group, 20% wanted an educational program about PTSD, 19% wanted individual partner treatment, and 13% wanted couples therapy.
Implications for Program Leaders
Offer workshops during reintegration to military couples regarding the possible mental health issues associated with deployment and ways to cope effectively as a family
Offer support groups for military families who have a Service member with PTSD as a means of decreasing the isolation that is common among these families
Disseminate information regarding the resources and services available to help Service members and military families coping with mental health issues
Implications for Policy Makers
Continue to support programs that help Service members and their families cope with PTSD and related symptoms
Recommend education for service providers regarding how PTSD symptoms can affect couple and family functioning
Encourage collaboration between DoD and community-based programs that work with military families struggling with mental health issues following a deployment
Methods
Female partners of Vietnam combat Veterans were recruited through outpatient PTSD treatment programs at the New Orleans and Jackson VA Medical Centers from July to November 2002.
Participants had to be a female cohabitating partner of a Vietnam War Veteran who had a chart diagnosis of PTSD, service-connected disability for PTSD, and who was actively participating in the PTSD program.
Female partners were contacted via telephone and invited to complete a phone interview.
Participants
Eighty-nine partners completed the phone interview (17 from Jackson and 72 from New Orleans).
The majority of participants were White (51%) or Black (42%), with a mean age of 52 years (SD = 5.8).
Most participants were married (91%). Data regarding Service branch were not provided.
Limitations
Only Veterans of Vietnam who were cohabitating with a female partner were included in the sample; therefore, results may not be generalizable to current Veterans or male partners.
The study used convenience sampling including couples from two VA hospitals in the southern part of the United States; therefore, the ability to extrapolate these findings to other Veterans and their partners is uncertain.
Due to the sensitive nature of discussing mental health issues and help-seeking behaviors, partners may not have answered questions honestly, which could bias the results.
Avenues for Future Research
Examine help-seeking behaviors among partners of current OIF/OEF Veterans living with PTSD
Explore barriers to care that prevent help-seeking behaviors for partners of Service members struggling with PTSD
Investigate the effectiveness of programs and services aimed at helping Service members and their families cope with mental health issues resulting from military service
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to perform an initial needs assessment of partners of Vietnam veterans with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to assess the partners' current rates of treatment use. A telephone survey was conducted with 89 cohabitating female partners of male combat veterans who were receiving outpatient PTSD treatment at two Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers. Although large majorities of partners rated individual therapy and family therapy to help cope with PTSD in the family as highly important, only about one-quarter of the partners had received any mental health care in the previous six months. The most commonly requested service was a women-only group.
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