The Impact of Work-Related Factors on Soldiers' Treatment: Providers' Perspectives

Abstract

Military settings present a unique context that can affect the continuity of care for substance abuse and other issues. We examined the impact of military work-related factors (increased work tempo, deployment, and permanent change of station) on treatment disruption for substance abuse and family violence among Army soldiers from the perspective of substance abuse treatment providers and clinical social workers. Among the 264 respondents, nearly 90% of providers reported that work-related factors

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members' experience with social services in the military: an exploratory study

“…It is surprising then that within such a large organization such as the CAF, that features a complex, demanding and stressful career that is descriptive of the CAF members' roles and responsibilities, that there is so little research available that explores the role of social work and social services with and for the CAF. Indeed, while there are studies available that relate to the military in general, most are American-based in nature, focusing predominantly on: the impact of deployment and warrelated stress on the mental health of service members (Asbury & Martin, 2012;Beder, Coe, & Sommer, 2011;Castro, 2009;Hammelman, 1995), mental health concerns and barriers to seeking treatment (Bennett, Crabtree, Schafer, & Britt, 2011;Castro et al, 2004;Clinton-Sherrod, Gibbs, Walters, Martin, & Johnson, 2012;Drapalski, Milford, Goldberg, Brown, & Dixon, 2008;Elbogen et al, 2013;Hoge, Auchterlonie, & Milliken, 2006;Kim, Britt, Klocko, & Riviere, 2011;Vogt, 2011), effects of job-related stress (Bray, Camlin, Fairbank, Dunteman, & Wheeless, 2001), and military culture and social work with veterans (Wheeler & Bragin, 2007).…”

“…From a provider's perspective, it has been reported that work-related issues in the military affects not only care seeking, but treatment continuity as well. The study by Clinton-Sherrod et al (2012) found that work-related factors (such as increased work tempo, deployment, and permanent change of station) not only have an impact on treatment for substance use and family violence but "other barriers to treatment such as resource issues, coordination of care, command support of treatment, and the participation of soldiers and families in treatment" (p. 84) impact treatment seeking and continuity as well. These additional barriers and factors affecting treatment, however, have yet to be explored.…”

“…Yet, this is a topic that is rarely explored in the military community, apart from studies related to mental health concerns (such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorders [PTSD] and Occupational Stress Injuries [OSI]). There has been extensive research recently that does explore the perceptions of stigma associated with seeking care for mental health problems and the structural barriers related to practical concerns about seeking treatment that influence care seeking for mental health problems (Garber et al, 2012;Castro et al, 2004;Clinton-Sherrod et al, 2012;Drapalski, Milford, Goldberg, Brown, & Dixon, 2008;Elbogen et al, 2013;Fikretoglu et al, 2007;Garber et al, 2012;Hoge et al, 2006;Kim et al, 2011;Vogt, 2011), but to the best of my knowledge, there has been no research that has explored the availability, access to and uptake of social services in the CAF by its members, especially for services that go beyond clinical interventions for PTSD and OSI for deployed personnel and returning veterans.…”

“…When it comes to care and treatment, barriers that have been identified in the literature include, but are not limited to: stigma, organizational and structural barriers, personal factors, and negative attitudes toward treatment (Bennett et al, 2011;Castro et al, 2004;Clinton-Sherrod et al, 2012;Drapalski et al, 2008;Garber et al, 2012;Kim et al, 2011;Vogt, 2011).…”

“…There is definitely a lack of phenomenological, qualitative studies that explore the lived experiences of military personnel. Instead of open-ended, semistructured interviews that allow for more open conversations and give members opportunities to share their personal, lived experiences, the research available have been mainly quantitative; consisting of surveys (Asbury, E. T., & Martin, D. (2012), Bennett et al, 2011, Clinton-Sherrod et al, 2012Elbogen et al, 2013;Fikretoglu et al, 2007;Garber et al, 2012), questionnaires (Bray et al, 2001), or a mix of surveys and short interviews (Beder et al, 2011).…”