Assignment: Annotation of a Qualitative Research Article

Annotation of a Qualitative Research Article

Walden University

January 19, 2019

Annotated Bibliography

Murphy, D., Palmer, E. Hill, K., Ashwick R., and Busutti (2017), Living alongside military

PTSD: A qualitative study of female partners’ experiences with UK Veterans

Journal of military, Veteran and Family Health doi:10.3138/jmvfh.4011 3 (1) 2017

Researchers provided a case study to determine the experiences of female partners of military veterans with PTSD. More research has begun to take place regarding the impacts the combat veterans partners/wives experience after the veteran has tested positive for PTSD. Because of the Iraq and Afghanistan war, many veterans continue to return home with mental health issues. The partners are the backbone of military families. Many partners are beginning to experience mental health issues of their own, trying to understand their partners high levels of depression, anxiety, isolation and lack of communication in the relationship. However, partners need support, maintenance and care for themselves, not to mention the support needed for their veterans. The emotional numbing, and avoidance, often present in cases will require the family to need counseling and support. Partners deal with many unique challenges to make it through the course of a day. No day is the same! Many partners are trying to seek help, and support but others have already given up. Veterans PTSD has an impact on their partners lives. The purpose of this study was to discover the challenges, and experiences of partners of PTSD, to explore what type of support was available. The authors used a qualitative approach to investigate the experiences of partners of Veterans with mental health difficulties. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to allow the participants to share their lived experiences. The method has been used in research with Veterans in other settings at different times in the past. The Combat Stress (CS) treatment center provided the location and the privacy. The sample was developed with eight females, randomly selected from 144, they participated in a qualitative study with semi-structured questions. Participants were recruited through their spouses from a population of veterans who tested positive for PTSD, at the (CS). A qualitative interview schedule was developed to ask the participants 3 sets of questions regarding their experiences. The interviews ranged from 30-60 minutes, with the collection of demographic materials.

All transcripts were analyzed, revised, re-read, to establish common themes. Informed consent was received before they started the interviews. Little research has been carried out to understand the current levels of psychological stress a partner of a Veteran with PTSD must endure. This study is relevant and essential to obtaining more information regarding the daily negative challenges many wives live with if their spouse is a combat Veteran with PTSD. Lack of communication, distance, isolation, moody, nightmares, flashbacks, insomnia, road rage, lack of visibility, and response mentally and physically, no intimacy. The results indicated challenges the partners felt, the second was the support they desperately need, and the barriers they face to be in the position to reach out to receive the help and support. Limitations to the study may be the lack of males, limiting generalizability, this was an all-female, heterosexual group. Partners who have already began to have secondary traumatization from their partners may have impacted the results. The results have not been compared to any other study, However, this was the first study of this type in the United Kingdom. When asking questions regarding the level of support, some military wives have a fear telling the truth about situations taking place within their family life. I would design those questions to be more direct.

Murphy’s et al. has the potential to be a great source in future programs working with Veterans partners with PTSD. These findings align with a current program working with active duty partners whose husbands have PTSD, it’s called the SAFE program. This study would also be useful to mental health clinicians working with cognitive behavioral family therapy, or PTSD specialist working with the Veterans, or the partners individually. Some Veterans find it hard to believe the magnitude of the illness and refuse to participate in therapy. In cases of this type the author advises individualized treatment for partners, join a support group, or receive psychoeducation, or join a blog online.

This study answered the question, living with a Veteran with PTSD can be a very humbling experience. The resilience gets thinner and thinner every unpredictable day. There needs to be more programs from the United States Military to support partners of Veterans who have PTSD. The numbers are growing, so are the number of suicides daily. We need interventions and best practices for the partners, exactly like we do for the military. Someone needs to ask the partners, “What can we do to help you? We realize you’ve gone through so much”. Will that ever happen? Partners are catering their lives to these Veterans when will it end? What happened to the support of others? We sent our Veterans to protect this country, they went to war, and now they will never be the same again.