<p> The emergence of modern warfare has contributed to greater numbers of service members being exposed to morally ambiguous decisions and actions (e.g., harming civilians and non-combatants). The moral and spiritual implications of serving in combat have gained increasing attention since the new wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (Litz et al., 2009). In particular, the injury to a veteran&rsquo;s beliefs and moral expectations may also affect his or her ability to make meaning from the combat-related stressors and upon previously held religious and spiritual beliefs. In addition, spirituality/religiousness and ability to forgive may predict levels of meaning made in the face of morally injurious experiences. Using the newly developed Moral Injury Questionnaire &ndash; Military Version (MIQ-M; Currier, Holland, Drescher, &amp; Foy, in press), this study examined the relations between morally injurious experiences (MIE), several spiritual/religious factors (daily spiritual experiences, religious coping, and forgiveness), and meaning made in a diverse sample of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who had enrolled in a community college since returning from their war-one deployments. In addition to the MIQ, participants completed the Integration of Stressful Life Events Scale (ISLES; Holland, Currier, Coleman, &amp; Neimeyer, 2010), the Brief Religious Coping Inventory (Brief RCOPE; Pargament, Smith, Koenig, &amp; Perez, 1998), the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (Underwood &amp; Theresi, 2002), and forgiveness questions from the Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness/Spirituality [BMMRS; Fetzer Institute/National Institute on Aging (NIA), 1999]. When controlling for demographics, military service factors, and general combat exposure (as assessed by Combat Experiences Scale, CES, Keane et al., 1989), exposure to morally injurious events (higher MIQ scores) uniquely predicted the meaning made of trauma &beta; = -.43. In addition daily spiritual experiences and forgiveness were positively linked with meaning made, &beta; = .35 and .22, respectively, while positive religious coping had an inverse relationship with meaning made, &beta; = -.33. This study provides further support for the critical relationship between morally injurious experiences and meaning made, while also suggesting the need for more research on the importance of spiritual/religious beliefs in the process of meaning-making after combat deployment.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Counseling and Educational Psychology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-10, Section: B, page: 6950. Adviser: Chalmer Thompson. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 21, 2008).

<p> Early into the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, reports revealed that less than half of individuals displaying symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder sought help from the mental health community. As a means to cope with the stresses of war, many soldiers turned to animals for emotional support, and anecdotal reports identified reduction in the severity of distress among soldiers. However, no study was found that investigates this phenomenon. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of service members with combat-related posttraumatic stress symptoms and the human-animal bond. The study applied a blend of constructivism and phenomenology to address how the construction of knowledge and perception interacts with trauma exposure to develop distress--the diathesis-stress theory of posttraumatic stress disorder. The single research question inquired into the lived experiences of Operational Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms who have a companion animal. Data collection consisted of 12 in-depth, participant interviews, which were analyzed using the phenomenological techniques created by Moustakas. The analysis revealed 4 themes: (a) rich descriptions of deployment events, (b) the experiences of returning from a deployment, (c) participants' perceptions on their pets' influence on posttraumatic stress symptoms, and (d) other personal comments and opinions related to participants' experiences. These findings illuminate the experiences of combat-related posttraumatic stress and the importance of animals in the therapeutic process. These detailed descriptions may help develop alternative treatment options and help policy makers assess the current management of posttraumatic stress in the military and Veteran's Administration systems.</p>

<p>Combat Veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) represent a vulnerable population that requires effective psychotherapeutic interventions. However, not all established treatments are universally effective for the estimated 20% of Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. A need for innovative approaches to manage symptoms of combat-related PTSD has been suggested in order to support traditional psychotherapeutic methods. Consequently, therapists have embraced complementary and alternative interventions for Veterans that include equine facilitated/assisted psychotherapy (EFP/EAP). Therapists who include EFP/EAP have agreed that interacting with horses in a therapeutic environment can have a positive impact on the health and behavior of individuals experiencing symptoms of PTSD. This descriptive phenomenological study, pursued through a common factors lens, explored the lived experiences of five licensed/credentialed mental health professionals who included EFP/EAP with Veterans diagnosed with PTSD. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with participants selected from the East and West Coasts of the United States. The research questions addressed why therapists chose to include the EFP/EAP intervention, how they conceived the EFP/EAP treatment as efficacious for Veterans, and how the common factors of the client, therapist, and collaborative relationship, in addition to specific factors, were reflected and involved in the EFP/EAP therapeutic process. Therapists' descriptions revealed seven major themes: "The horse-human relationship," "Building trust," "It engages people both mentally and physically," "From the beginning," "Nonverbal communication," "Emotional safety," and "A faster vehicle." Additionally, therapists' descriptions supported the common factors paradigm in psychotherapy. Findings indicated that therapists in this study chose EFP/EAP as a treatment option for Veterans diagnosed with PTSD because qualities of the horse evoked positive past subjective experiences in the therapists, the EFP/EAP intervention supported their primary theoretical orientations as psychotherapists, and the horse and its environment can address treatment goals relevant to behavioral and psychosocial difficulties in Veterans' lives. A recommendation for future research is for larger, international studies that explore the viewpoints of therapists who practice equine therapies in other countries in order to expand the knowledge base and address the competency and standards discussion in the EFP/EAP field. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between depression, alcohol use, and drug abuse among military veterans. The researcher examined secondary data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). The study focused on veterans 18 years and older. The data retrieval form used consisted of questions on alcohol use, smoking and demographics. </p><p> The study found a relationship between veterans and depression, feelings of worthlessness and feelings of hopelessness. Results from this study indicated that the younger veterans tended to feel more worthlessness. The study determined that veterans felt more hopelessness when serving less time compared to those who served for 20 years or more.</p>

<p> Having a partner as a part of the military induces a level of great stress. There is an absence of literature focusing on the unique circumstances that Reservist and National Guard soldiers and their families face with deployment. This project aimed to explore the unique challenges of part-time military families, looking specifically into how partners of reservist military and regular military soldiers significantly differ in their description of the deployment experience and relational/marital satisfaction, as well as if deployment experience factors or certain demographic characteristics of partners of soldiers predict reported rates of marital satisfaction. A snowballing method to recruit participants was used in which participants accessed an internet-based survey, which consisted of demographics, deployment information, and contact during deployment, and the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). Dyadic adjustment of regular army and reservist partners revealed a minor difference of relational cohesion based on partner's military affiliation. Differences in reported martial satisfaction were also found to be influenced by age and the interaction of age and partner's military affiliation. Partners of regular army soldiers also indicated having a greater number of resources available for support during deployment and utilizing a greater number of methods to maintain contact during deployment. Qualitative analysis of participants' descriptions of challenges and recommendations suggested parenting and childcare to be the most common challenge among regular and reservist components. Partners of regular army soldiers also appeared to frequently specify the need for social supports to be military affiliated. Limitations and contributions of findings are also discussed.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to create program to identify funding sources, and write a grant to fund a support group for veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at the Department of Veterans Affairs of, Long Beach. The literature allowed this write to find the main causes of PTSD in this case being exposed to combat, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBO), and the consequences to PTSD (substance abuse, commit suicide, experience family conflicts). This writer also found Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PET), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to be effective intervention in treating veterans with PTSD. The proposed program is aimed at providing psychoeducation to veterans and to help improve the lives of our service men and women who suffer from PTSD. The program includes group counseling, and individual counseling for veterans, family counseling. Providing the proper training will help social worker better assess and serve our veterans who return from combat with PTSD. Actual submission and/or funding of the grant were not required for the completion of this project.</p>