The Mental Health of Partners of Australian Vietnam Veterans Three Decades After the War and Its Relation to Veteran Military Service, Combat, and PTSD

Abstract

This study assessed psychiatric diagnoses in female partners of Australian Vietnam veterans, compared these with national Australian population statistics, and assessed their relationship with veterans' military service and mental health. Independent assessments of 240 veteran-partner couples used standardized physical and psychiatric diagnostic interviews that permitted comparison with Australian population data. Multivariate regression modeling examined associations of veterans' war service, combat, and psychiatric status with women's mental health. Anxiety disorders and severe recurrent depression were among 11 of 17 psychiatric diagnoses that were significantly in excess of population expectations. Veterans' combat and post-traumatic stress disorder were significant predictors of women's depressive disorder, particularly severe depression. We conclude that veterans' war service and mental health sequelae including post-traumatic stress disorder are associated with higher rates of mental disorder in their female partners 3 decades after the war.

Long-Term Trajectories and Service Needs for Military Families

“…Compared to the partners of non-veterans, the partners of Australian Vietnam veterans with PTSD reported higher levels of somatic complaints, depression, anxiety, insomnia, social difficulties, and family conflict, and lower levels of self-esteem, family cohesion, and family expressiveness (Westerink and Giarratano 1999). In a similar study, spouses of Australian Vietnam veterans were more likely to report depression if the veteran had PTSD (O'Toole et al 2010). Compared to the spouses of veterans without PTSD, the spouses of American Vietnam veterans with PTSD reported lower educational attainment, more marital problems, more family violence, less happiness, lower life satisfaction, more demoralization, and more child behavioral problems (Jordan et al 1992).…”

“…Intensity of combat exposure was predictive of long-term negative outcomes in Vietnam veterans, with higher levels of combat exposure associated with higher levels of separation and divorce, lower marital and relationship satisfaction, lower sexual satisfaction, lower parenting satisfaction, lower income, lower job status, higher substance use, greater psychological distress, and lower life satisfaction (Stellman et al 1988). Spouses of Australian Vietnam veterans with combat exposure were more likely to report depression and tobacco use (O'Toole et al 2010). Other research, however, suggests that the effects of combat exposure on family functioning are almost entirely mediated by PTSD (Caselli and Motta 1995).…”

“…Combatrelated injuries present a strain to both the veteran and his or her spouse. For instance, spouses of Australian Vietnam veterans who had been injured in combat were more likely to drink alcohol daily, use sleeping medications, have panic disorder, and have had at least one severe depressive episode (O'Toole et al 2010).…”

“…Spouses of Australian Vietnam veterans, evaluated over 20 years after the war, reported higher levels of several psychiatric conditions, particularly depression and anxiety disorders, compared to population norms (O'Toole et al 2010). It is not clear how much of these higher levels could be accounted for by more specific risk factors; however, the authors did find that nearly all of the psychiatric diagnoses that were in excess of population norms were associated with veteran characteristics, particularly combat exposure and PTSD.…”

Suicidality in Australian Vietnam veterans and their partners

“…Evidence of poorer mental health has been reported in the partners of Vietnam veterans (O'Toole et al, 2010a(O'Toole et al, , 2010b, with higher levels of psychiatric disorders than the background population. It might therefore be expected that there would be higher degrees of suicidality among partners.…”