Post-traumatic stress disorder among wives of Kuwaiti veterans of the first Gulf War

Al-Turkait, Fawziyah A.; Ohaeri, Jude U.

doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2007.01.011

Cited by 31 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…There is now a well-documented body of international research associating PTSD in veterans with changes in personality and behavior resulting in interpersonal difficulties that have a direct impact on the lives and mental health of their intimate partners (Calhoun, Beckham, & Bosworth, 2002;Dekel & Monson, 2010;Renshaw et al, 2011;Taft, Watkins, Stafford, Street, & Monson, 2011). Female partners of male veterans with PTSD are confronted with longterm and continuous stress, reporting symptoms of depression, anxiety, social isolation, low self-esteem, feelings of hopelessness, and guilt many years after veteran trauma exposure, across different military cohorts and in different countries (Ahmadi, AzampoorAfshar, Karami, & Mokhtari, 2011;Al-Turkait & Ohaeri, 2008;Ben Arzi, Solomon, & Dekel, 2000;Dirkzwager, Bramsen, Adèr, & van der Ploeg, 2005;Franciskovic et al, 2007;Sherman et al, 2005). Although there is a paucity of Australian studies in this area, those published support the findings of overseas research (Westerink & Giarratano, 1999 Research on this sub-population of carers has been predominantly quantitative, seeking cause-effect explanations by focusing on measures of carer burden or secondary traumatization.…”

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confidence: 99%

The Lived Experience of Caring for an Australian Military Veteran With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2016

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A bst ractThere is limited literature on the experience of caring for an intimate partner with a mental health condition. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition for military veterans; yet, little is known about how partners experience and cope with these caring relationships. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, we collected data through individual interviews with 20 female partners of male veterans diagnosed with PTSD living in South Australia. W e found the emotional features of caring to be directly derived from the strength of commitment these carers had to their relationships. W e show that lack of understanding of carers' lives, particularly by health providers and government, has resulted in a sense of social disconnect and invisibility that has contributed to stress and is a barrier to coping. Of vital importance to these carers was that partners of younger veterans do not have to suffer the same experiences.

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confidence: 99%

The Lived Experience of Caring for an Australian Military Veteran With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

2016

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“…There is a significant international body of research on the psychological impacts of caring for a veteran partner with PTSD (Ahmadi, Azampoor-Afshar, Karami, & Mokhtari, 2011;Dekel & Monson, 2010;Al-Turkait & Ohaeri, 2008;Ben Arzi, Solomon, & Dekel, 2000;Dirkzwager, Bramsen, Adèr, & van der Ploeg, 2005;Franciskovic, et al, 2007;Sherman, et al, 2005, Westerink & Giarratano, 1999. Because the military is predominantly male, regardless of country, most of this research has involved the female partners of male veterans.…”

Section: Case Study Project Overview and Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lack of trust is a feature in veterans with PTSD (Al-Turkait & Ohaeri, 2008;Waysman, Mikulincer, Solomon, & Weisenberg, 1993), and the stigma of PTSD can be significant for veterans because it carries pervasive connotations for veterans of being weak or cowardly and a questioning of their self-identity (Yarvis, 2011). This issue of veteran trust can extend to their partner discussing the relationship outside of the home.…”

Section: Research Practicalitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Researching the Experience of Caring for a Military Veteran Partner With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using Interpretive Phenomenology

Waddell¹,

Pulvirenti²,

Lawn³

2017

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Under the supervision of the coauthors, the lead author undertook doctoral research examining the 'lived experience' of caring for an Australian military veteran with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the perspective of the intimate partner. PTSD is a common mental health condition for military veterans, yet there has been very limited investigation into the partners' experience of these caring relationships. In this research, an interpretive phenomenological approach was used to collect data through individual face-toface interviews with 20 female partners of male veterans diagnosed with PTSD. In this case study, we discuss the challenges that confronted the lead author as a novice researcher in accessing a sample population, in remaining alert to the sensitivities in interviews with potentially traumatized participants, and in managing her own emotional reactions to the interview data. This case highlights the need for researcher preparation in pre-empting issues that may arise, and the importance of access to skilled supervision for students undertaking research with a sensitive and vulnerable population. Learning OutcomesBy the end of this case students should be able to: Understand how the impact of the research on the researcher forms an important part of the analysis in interpretive phenomenology;  Understand why 'bracketing' is not used in interpretive phenomenology; Have a better understanding of the types of research questions for which interpretive phenomenology is appropriate;

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“…34 The salience of effective social supports and the benefits of empowering wives of war victims to manage the sociopsychological burdens of caregiving are included among the interventions suggested. 60 These types of therapeutically induced interventions may provide a buffer against relationship distress caused by caregiver burden. 39 Nevertheless, it is important to note the high rate of PTSD-like symptoms in the wives of non-affected husbands.…”

Section: Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of secondary post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the spouses of chemical warfare victims 20 years after the Iran–Iraq war

et al. 2011

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Aims and methodPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been reported in 90% of chemical warfare victims in previous studies. An individual's traumatic experience(s) may affect the lives of other family members as well. This cross-sectional case–control study compared the prevalence of PTSD symptoms in the husbands, the secondary PTSD symptoms in the wives and also aimed to identify if there was an association between the PTSD symptoms of the couples in the case group. Cases were 150 husband–wife couples where husbands were civilians exposed to chemical warfare; the controls were 156 husband–wife couples where there was no such exposure. Both cases and controls were recruited from Sardasht in Iran; this Kurdish city was attacked by four 250 kg sulphur mustard warheads in June 1987.ResultsAcross three sets of cut-off points for the Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related PTSD symptomotology (<120 and ⩾121; <106 and ⩾107; and <65, 65–130 and > 130) wives in the case group demonstrated higher rates of PTSD symptoms than did those in the control group; the difference was statistically significant. Furthermore, husbands in the case group had a significantly higher overall mean score (123.0 (s.d. = 17.2)) than the husbands in the control group (112.3 (s.d. = 21.7); P<0.001, t = 4.80). There was no statistically significant association between the overall PTSD score of the husbands in the case group with that of their wives (P = 0.274, correlation coefficient 0.092).Clinical implicationsHusbands who were exposed to the chemical agents reported higher PTSD symptoms and there were higher rates of PTSD symptoms among the wives of individuals who were exposed to chemical warfare. Study results suggest the need for coordinated treatments, policy efforts and interventions to improve the wellbeing of chemical warfare victims and their caregiver wives.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder among wives of Kuwaiti veterans of the first Gulf War

Cited by 31 publications

References 36 publications

The Lived Experience of Caring for an Australian Military Veteran With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

The Lived Experience of Caring for an Australian Military Veteran With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Researching the Experience of Caring for a Military Veteran Partner With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Using Interpretive Phenomenology

Evaluation of secondary post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in the spouses of chemical warfare victims 20 years after the Iran–Iraq war

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