Married to or living with a veteran with trauma?

[caroline2010]

In light of the ongoing war in Afghanistan, the number of veterans suffering from trauma symptoms is becoming an area of acute concern to psychologists. Combat Stress, the charity which helps former Armed Forces personnel suffering from service-related mental health problems, recently reported a 53 per cent rise in GP referrals of veterans, and it is well-documented that a soldier's adjustment to everyday life back home following service in a warzone can be fraught with difficulty.

I am a postgraduate Psychology student at the University of East London; as part of this course I am conducting a research project investigating the aspects of the emotional and relational wellbeing of women who are married to or are co-habiting with recent veterans of combat who have been diagnosed with trauma symptoms.

The focus of my study is on the accounts of spouses of veterans - how are they affected and what are their experiences? The veterans would have been retired from service for at least one year. In seeking to improve our understanding of a soldier's wellbeing and subsequently maximising our responses to the needs of the soldiers and their families, it is of great importance to explore the views of their intimate partners, especially with regards to experiences of re-engaging in a close, intimate relationship during this challenging period of re-adjustment.

Volunteers are asked to spare 60 minutes of their time for a one-on-one interview at a pre-arranged time, in a private, secure location in the Stratford Campus of the University of East London, or at a private, secure location convenient to the volunteer.

All interviews will be treated strictly confidential, in accordance with strict guidelines set out by the British Psychological Society. All names will be changed to ensure anonymity.

If your long-term committed partner or husband is a veteran displaying trauma symptoms and you would like to take part in this study, or if you wish to discuss this further without any obligation to take part, please don't hesitate to contact me on 07912 575 260 or email me at [email protected].

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your time!

Caroline Virr

[jcscot]

This should be in Media/Non member requests.