The psychological effects of a lifestyle management course on war veterans and their spouses

Abstract

This research assessed the effect on a war-veteran outpatient group in a week-long residential lifestyle-management course. This course also included the veterans' partners, and all participants were assessed at intake, postintervention, and at three-and six-month follow-ups. In summary, it was found that while there was a statistically significant drop in PTSD symptomatology for the veterans, the clinical utility of this improvement was minimal, with an estimated effect size of d ϭ 0.19 by six-month follow-up. However, the veterans displayed a significant decrease in measures of depression, anxiety, and stress by six-month follow-up, all with small-tomoderate effect sizes. Likewise, ratings of anger showed statistically significant improvement with a moderate effect size. While dyadic adjustment displayed a significant improvement to six-month follow-up, the derived effect size was small for the veterans. The spouses (all females in this study) displayed larger effect sizes on all measures, with the exception of ratings of anger, where a small effect was noted. Subjective quality-of-life indices displayed a significant change in the desired direction, although with a minimal effect for the veterans and a small effect size for the females. It was not feasible to have a control group during this naturalistic investigation and, therefore, caution is advised in over-generalizing from these data. However, these results warrant further 'controlled' investigation into the inclusion of spouses in the treatment of veterans and the utility of lifestyle-management courses as a first step in the treatment of trauma related problems that have become chronic in nature within the veteran community.

Couple/family therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: Review to facilitate interpretation of VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guideline

“…Evidence that the intervention is effective is lacking or poor quality, or conflicting, and the balance of benefits to harms cannot be determined" [8, p. 202]. The supporting evidence offered for this conclusion includes three studies: Devilly [9], Glynn et al [4], and Monson et al [10]. Upon review of these studies, the CPG summarizes that "BFT [behavioral family therapy] did not significantly improve the PTSD symptoms and was inferior to other psychotherapies" [8, p. 144].…”

“…They generally did not include methodologically rigorous elements of controlled psychotherapy studies, such as independent and blinded clinician assessment of PTSD symptoms, assessment of longer-term outcomes, fidelity to treatment assessment, or reliability assessment of clinician assessors. Devilly described the results of a program evaluation study of Australian combat Veterans and their partners who participated in an intensive weeklong residential group intervention that included psychoeducation about PTSD and symptom management techniques [9]. At follow-up, both Veterans and their partners reported statistically significant reductions in anxiety, depression, and general stress; Veterans reported a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms.…”

“…Thus, given the available evidence, it is not possible to conclude that couple/family therapy alone is inferior to other therapies as indicated in the CPG. Moreover, Devilly [9] and Monson et al [10] found significant improvements in PTSD symptoms as a result of a partnerinvolved treatment. We think a more accurate conclusion might be that some evidence suggests that the class of cognitive-behavioral couple interventions may improve PTSD symptoms and intimate relationship functioning.…”

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

“…[17][18][19] Post-traumatic stress disorder not only affects the quality of life of war veterans but also creates a huge burden for their caregivers and families. 20 Several studies have pointed to the mental health problems in the family members of disabled veterans. 21 Secondary traumatisation refers to a therapist's reactions to clients' often painful and graphic traumatic experiences.…”

Risk Factors for Suicide in Wives of Military Personnel

“…Separation, transiency and differential parenting have been implicated as predisposing factors for the "military family syndrome". Loneliness, fears about the soldier's safety, ignorance of the place of deployment, problems with communications and rumours are frequently cited by families [1][2][3][4][5]. In the Indian Armed Forces, the wives of serving personnel have access to welfare activities including social support, health and family planning, vocational training, housing and financial assistance.…”