Publication year
2014
Citation Title
One day at a time: The experiences of partners of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
Journal Name
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Journal Volume
45
Issue Number
6
Page Numbers
488-495
DOI
10.1037/a0038422
Summary
Partners of primarily Vietnam-era Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) provided written commentary on a mail survey on their day-to-day experiences of managing PTSD in the family. Partners' comments reflected their desire for additional mental health resources, education about PTSD, and skills to facilitate a healthier home environment. Approximately 20% of the comments referred to partners' coping skills, such as drawing upon their faith and social support in coping with PTSD.
Key Findings
Approximately 60% of the partners' comments mentioned a desire for additional mental health services, 50% pertained to interpersonal relationships, and 41% referred to partner/family reactions towards Veterans' PTSD.
Coping skills were mentioned in 18% of the written comments, including spirituality and drawing upon social support.
Participants with children living in the household were more likely to describe difficulties in their intimate relationships, including uncertainty about how to react to the Veteran's PTSD.
Implications for Program Leaders
Develop classes that support partners and children living with Veterans with PTSD, providing them education and skills in facilitating a healthy family environment
Offer workshops during deployments for partners to educate them on how to recognize possible signs of PTSD and to effectively support Service members upon homecoming
Provide peer mentoring and support groups for partners to help them cope with changes within the home after their Veterans' homecoming
Implications for Policy Makers
Encourage outreach to returning Service members and their families about PTSD and other mental health concerns, such as via public awareness campaigns like the National PTSD Awareness Day
Strengthen collaboration between Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital and community-based mental health providers to form partnerships to care for families affected by PTSD
Recommend that Service members be offered an individual consultation with a mental health professional during the transition from military to civilian life to educate them about family resources
Methods
Data for this study were taken from a larger mail survey study conducted by the Veterans Affairs Pacific Island Health Care System.
This study exclusively focused on the free text to the optional final question.
Participants for the current study were recruited via referrals from Veterans participating in a larger study.
Participants
Of the 455 intimate partners who completed surveys, 252 (55%) included written comments.
Approximately 97% of participants were female, with a mean age of 57.6 years (SD = 10.4)
Seventy-two percent of the partners had Veterans from the Vietnam War, and 18% from the Gulf War.
Limitations
The sample was potentially biased due to self-selection, both to participate in the study overall and to offer the additional written-in comments to the optional question.
It was a fairly homogenous sample and recruited from one VA medical center, which limits the ability to generalize the findings.
The open-ended responses to a general question yielded some ambiguous responses, and the nature of the data precluded researchers from gathering clarification.
Avenues for Future Research
Replicate this study with larger, more diverse sample that includes male partners, and partners of more recent Veterans
Utilize qualitative methods such as focus groups or key informant interviews to allow for a more contextualized understanding of the partners' experiences
Examine the challenges of managing parental PTSD and its effect on parenting and the parent-child relationship
Focus
Multiple Branches
Target Population
Population Focus
Military Branch
Military Component
Abstract
The intimate partners of veterans living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often have few opportunities to articulate in their own words how the disorder affects them and their families. Besides relationship challenges and stress associated with assuming a caregiver role, partners may endure their own psychological distress. These occurrences may be overlooked when treating PTSD, as the focus is usually on the veteran and from the veteran's perspective. Engaging significant others and understanding their perspective is paramount to both the veteran's recovery and the well-being of the couple. We mailed surveys to partners of veterans with PTSD as part of a larger study that assessed PTSD-related knowledge, beliefs, treatment involvement, and quality of life. At the end of the survey was an optional free-text section inviting partners to share any other information related to their circumstances. Of all survey respondents, over half (n 252) provided comments. We used this opportunity to explore these partners' experiences of living with a veteran diagnosed with PTSD. Using a thematic analysis framework, independent raters coded comments relating to relationships, partner/family reactions, protective factors, mental health services, reactions to study participation, and general remarks. Findings highlighted the myriad ways in which PTSD impacts both partners and families, strategies partners use to cope, and specific mental health services they believe would be most beneficial. Responses suggested a continued need to include partner perspectives in future work, and to provide mental health services targeted to partners of veterans with PTSD.
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