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Trauma and Military Veterans
Liberty University
SOWK435
Theresa Cook
4/29/2024
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Trauma and Military Veterans
Military service members face a range of potentially traumatic experiences in the line of
duty, from combat exposure to sexual assault to training accidents. According to Reisman
(2016), while most soldiers cope well initially, some go on to develop psychological difficulties,
including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse issues.
The impacts of trauma can be shattering on individual, family, and societal levels. As veterans
attempt to reintegrate into civilian life post-deployment, they may struggle with issues like anger,
emotional numbing, employment problems, and relationship conflicts.
Social workers play a vital role in addressing the multifaceted needs of traumatized
veterans and their families. From the individual level, where social workers provide evidence-
based psychotherapies, to the family level with support services, and the community level using
outreach and advocacy, social workers ensure that the veterans’ well-being and resilience are
provided across the ecological spectrum (Abdullah Alruwaili et al., 2023). Obtaining highly
specialized education in areas such as military culture, moral injury, and trauma-informed care
enables social workers to appreciate the nuances of veteran experiences and play an essential role
in the process of recovery and posttraumatic growth. In this essay, a trauma in military veterans
among social workers, particularly from the perspective of the "Person-in-environment"
framework, is going to be examined.
Person-In-Environment Perspective
The social work framework is based on viewing people through an ecological perspective
that involves the multilayered interconnection between personal dimensions and those of the
environment, which shape experiences and behaviour. It is this person-in-environment
perspective that gets centralized whenever we consider the trauma among military veterans. In
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addition to personal domains, such as neurobiological makeup, coping skills, meaning-making
processes, and environment layers, which consist of combat exposure, thinking about
deployment, reintegration stressors, and social attitudes toward veterans who have undergone
traumatic experiences, significantly affect the resilience to trauma.
At the individual level, developmental stage, and neurological configuration could be the
factor that decides the level of vulnerability when facing trauma and the type of recovery process
a person will go through. For instance, the adolescent period, when many adults join the military,
is a fragile time for brain development, emotion regulation, and identity formation processes that,
because of traumatic stress, can be unbalanced (Rubin et al., 2012). Other than that, genetics will
also increase the chance that some people will develop PTSD and other disorders that are related
to the trauma.
When referring to environmental variables, the type, severity, and chronicity of the
traumatic experiences are the factors that shape the results. High-intensity combat, which is
integrally associated with life threats, horror, ethical transgressions, and loss, can be rather
destructive and can undermine the deepest beliefs of safety and justice in the most secretive
ways. Military sexual trauma, an act by a trusted institution, can sow seeds of distrust and make
unit cohesion, paramount to resilience, diminish in strength (Lofgreen et al., 2017). Acting
against the values and witnessing human rights violations could be considered spiritual and
existential traumas. The family environment complements what comes with complex situations,
such as the uncertainties of immigration and the inappropriate use of the terms and emotions
involved during families' separation.
The transition stress of shedding the warrior identity and reintegrating into civilian life,
confounded by relationship, occupational, and cultural problems, comes next. The key factors
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determining a recovery environment are social support or its absence, financial stability, access
to the health system, and public perception of veterans.
Client Conceptualization
Veterans are different due to their military culture and experiences, which is essential to
bear in mind because they can result in unique struggles, such as stress and trauma. A
cornerstone military cultural concept is the combat ethos. This entails strength, teamwork, and
mission accomplishment despite the cost. However, the characteristics of this attitude that made
it so powerful during combat may also make it difficult to recover. These include self-reliance,
emotional suppression, and denial of mental health needs.
The consequences of PTSD that are widely observed among military veterans are feelings
of continuous imminent threat in the civilian world, moral issues, and feelings of guilt because
they survived when others did not. While others survived, many lost their trust, becoming wary
of honesty, divine intervention, and the natural order of things (Kip et al., 2022). The memories
of trauma may lead to bodily sensations of hyperarousal, disturbed mental images, and
imbalanced emotional reactions. Military sexual trauma is a rupture from the institution with a
conviction, which can significantly shatter self-image, relationships, and worldview.
On the cognitive level, veterans who have been through trauma will find themselves
having to cope with memory deficits, problems with concentration, and unhelpful perceptions
such as self-blame and fear of the future. Emotionally, they may face devastating symptoms,
which could be numbness, anxiety, anger, shame, or depression. Psychologically, evading
reminders of the trauma, resorting to substance misuse, being violent, and indulging in thrill-
seeking behavior might appear like dysfunctional coping techniques (Rubin et al., 2012).
Relationships tend to be tarnished severely by emotional detachment, lack of confidence, and
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strife. Religiously, a veteran may struggle with existential questions like what the meaning of life
is and why God abandoned him. Readjustment veterans and their families often have difficulties
reestablishing a bond on an emotional level, regulating emotions, rebuilding their identity, and
forming a story that enables them to deal with their experiences (Perlick et al., 2017). Securing
income, housing, healthcare, and other transition resources is also necessary.
Spirituality and Religion
The importance of spirituality and religion becomes very evident when one is working
with members of the military who have been through trauma from a holistic perspective.
Traumatic situations may cause a person to lose close convictions and views on themselves,
others, and their religious or existential worldview, as stated by Brémault-Phillips et al. (2019).
Individuals who experience traumatic events frequently question such issues as the purpose of
life and what existence implies, the nature of suffering, justice, and society, and a benevolent
God, if there is any.
For many veterans, the belief in God that they were used to may be heavily tested by the
traumatic experiences they are exposed to. They may struggle with forgiving themselves or
others, feeling punished or abandoned by God, or even betrayed by their old beliefs and moral
perspectives. Others will likely rely on religious coping by reading the scriptures, praying, and
seeking support from their faith community to self-interpret and restore their peace. Some will
react by moving away to other ideologies or may become even more secular.
From a Christian point of view, humans are regarded as integrated masses of body, mind,
and soul that cannot be magnificently extracted. Trauma affects the individual as a whole; it
spreads across different aspects of a person. Consequently, spirituality and religious faith act as
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essential additions to the other therapeutic methods that aim at helping the patient recover a new
life after the traumatizing experience (Rubin et al., 2012).
Theologically, Christianity provides a hopeful narrative within unsightly situations where
grace restores. Just like God's presence with those suffering, his mercy is often greater than his
judgment, and it is only through the turmoil that people can transform their lives into people of
wisdom and faith that the sense of alienation and disappointment caused by painful events heals
(Park et al., 2017). Offered in clinical settings, spiritually-based interventions such as religious
healing work, bonding with a benevolent higher power, reinterpreting trauma from a theological
perspective, regaining spiritual meaning, and a refreshed sense of sacred mission can promote
growth after a traumatic experience.
Assessing Strengths and Needs
Social workers should assess veterans with an approach considering several functioning
domains, including cognitive, emotional, behavioral, relations, and spiritual. The process will be
enhanced by standardized screening tools and the collective exploration of the client's narrative
as the key to gaining a comprehensive picture.
On a cognitive level, assessments should determine trauma knowledge deficits, memory
impairments, and attention problems that prevent treatment attendance. Additionally, patterns of
thinking can be detrimental. For example, these may include negative mental patterns that could
become triggers or intensify negative thoughts and emotions (Gonzalez Kelso & Tadi, 2020). On
an emotional level, it is necessary to screen for posttraumatic posttraumatic stress disorder,
depression, anxiety, anger issues, and even potential referrals for counseling. Mapping the
behavioral patterns connecting avoidance, withdrawal, substance use, aggression, and other
expressions of emotional regulation is a prior condition.
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Besides assessing relational impacts, the interruption of the primary connection,
including family duties or social circle, is also considered. Emotion locking and mistrust in
relationships should be evaluated, and current relational supports and needs should be given
priority. As stated by Shahaf Leshem et al. (2023), Secondary traumatic stress that could affect
the partners and children should also be considered. In the spiritual domain, collaboratively
exploring the role of spirituality in the client's life, potential religious struggles, capacities for
meaning-making, and sense of sacred purpose or calling can reveal vital resources for coping and
growth. Screening for moral injury and potential trauma-related spiritual needs is recommended.
Preparing to Work with Clients
With the warrior ethos of strength and self-reliance firmly ingrained in military culture,
as a social worker, you should anticipate and be prepared to address common barriers to
traumatized veterans seeking and engaging in mental health services. Stigma, distrust of civilian
providers, and resistance to being viewed as psychologically "broken" are obstacles that must be
overcome through rapport-building and psychoeducation.
From the onset, social workers must cultivate a robust therapeutic alliance based on
acceptance, empathy, and trust in this population. Having the necessary military culture
knowledge, including proper greetings, acronym usage, and respect for role distinctions, will be
critical for the practitioner in the eyes of the veteran. Utilizing the combination of self-involving
disclosure on the goal to be such a soldier and mentioning a military background connection or
experience can help gain rapport and trust. Social work involves assessing and acting on any area
of risk, such as suicidal attempts, dangers of alcohol or substance use, and violence, which may
require crisis intervention or coordinated healthcare (Rubin et al., 2012). Having coping
strategies at the ready to ground oneself physically, regulate emotions, and have personal safety
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protocols ready when working with veterans who have been exposed to traumatic events and are
dysregulated is of utmost importance.
It is vital for the social worker working with this group to have complete training in
trauma-informed care principles like security, teamwork, choice, trust, and empowerment
approach. Further, the comprehensive understanding of evidence-based trauma treatment
modalities, including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and EMDR
(Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing), is the needed amount of ethical and
practical care (Watkins et al., 2018). As a social worker, you should thus build an
interdisciplinary network for making referrals and ensuring collaborative care since the service is
holistic.
Conclusion
Veterans who suffer from different traumatic experiences are the population with
demanding needs. Therefore, social work practitioners must deliver an integrated, culturally
competent, and spiritually sensitive treatment approach. They can serve this group efficiently and
effectively through data-driven yet individual services, such as the person-in-environment
approach, the multidimensional client conceptualization, and conducting strengths/needs analysis
over multiple dimensions. The effects of trauma are mental, psychological, behavioral, relational,
and spiritual, which cause veterans and their families much harm. Disruptions in the belief
systems, ethical frameworks, sense of self and purpose, emotional regulation abilities,
relationships, and core assumptions about safety and humanity relate to the complex recovery
issues. A holistic understanding that unites the body, mind, and spirit highlights treatment
opportunities for a person's harmonious healing.
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