Promoting Reintegration of National Guard Veterans and Their Partners Using a Self-Directed Program of Integrative Therapies: A Pilot Study

Abstract

This article reports pilot data from phase I of a project to develop and evaluate a self-directed program of integrative therapies for National Guard personnel and significant relationship partners to support reintegration and resilience after return from Iraq or Afghanistan. Data are reported on 43 dyads. Intervention was an integrated multimedia package of guided meditative, contemplative, and relaxation exercises (CD) and instruction in simple massage techniques (DVD) to promote stress reduction and interpersonal connectedness. A repeated measures design with standardized instruments was used to establish stability of baseline levels of relevant mental health domains (day 1, day 30), followed by the intervention and assessments 4 and 8 weeks later. Significant improvements in standardized measures for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and self-compassion were seen in both veterans and partners; and in stress for partners. Weekly online reporting tracked utilization of guided exercises and massage. Veterans reported significant reductions in ratings of physical pain, physical tension, irritability, anxiety/worry, and depression after massage, and longitudinal analysis suggested declining baseline levels of tension and irritability. Qualitative data from focus groups and implications for continued development and a phase II trial are discussed.

Body‐ and Movement‐Oriented Interventions for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

“…The seven single-group studies were not included in the metaanalysis; six of these studies resulted in a significant decrease in overall PTSD symptomatology (Collinge et al, 2012;Gordon et al, 2016;McCarthy et al, 2017;Price et al, 2017;Staples et al, 2013;Walker & Pacik, 2017), and the seventh study only showed a significant decrease in hyperarousal symptoms (Staples et al, 2013). For the 15 studies included in the metaanalysis, a random effects model effect size was calculated for all analyses because of the large heterogeneity in the interventions across the included studies (see Table S1).…”

“…The control conditions were waitlist (Carter et al, Rosenbaum, Sherrington, & Tiedemann, 2014). One study compared a massage condition to massage and body-oriented therapy (Price, 2005), and seven studies were single-group studies without a control condition (Collinge, Kahn, & Soltysik, 2012;Gordon, Staples, He, & Atti, 2016;Manger & Motta, 2005;McCarthy et al, 2017;Price et al, 2017;Staples et al, 2013;Walker & Pacik, 2017). Outcome measures were self-report measures for PTSD symptomatology as well as PTSD measures collected during clinical interviews; one study used a clinician-administered measure of complex traumatic stress (Kaiser et al, 2010).…”

A Logic Model as the Sequence of Needs and Experience that Lead PTSD Patients to Seek a Service Dog and Concerns Related to It: A Stakeholders Perspective

“…It also includes symptoms and treatments of PTSD as theoretical aspects, and intended services and expected outcomes linked to the PSD as emergent results [36][37][38]. From the stakeholders' perspective, there are four roles and tasks of PSD (detection and intervention when the veteran is anxious, contributing to a feeling of safety, a sense of relaxation and socialisation), two major undesirable events that can occur with the service dog (public access and stigmatization), nine potential effects of the PSD, three potential organizational impacts of the service dog and 12 co-factors affecting accessibility and efficacy of the intervention with PSD.…”

Marital Satisfaction, Family Support, and Pre-Deployment Resiliency Factors Related to Mental Health Outcomes for Reserve and National Guard Soldiers

“…Couple-based programs and interventions have been shown to be effective in increasing marital satisfaction (Lewis et al, 2016; Monson et al, 2004) and in reducing adverse outcomes, such as intimate partner violence (Taft et al, 2015; Taft et al, 2013). Programs like Mission Reconnect- a partner-based, self-directed program of integrative therapies, including massage, have demonstrated significant improvements in PTSD, depression and stress (Collinge, Kahn, & Soltysik, 2012). However, further work is needed in this area to determine if increases in marital satisfaction as a result of couple-based therapies contribute to further improvements in mental health outcomes in the long-term, after interventions have ended.…”