Doncaster, Emily and Hiskey, Syd and McPherson, Susan and Andrews, Leanne (2019) '“I'm Still Fighting for the Two of Us”: How Partners of UK Veterans Construct Their Experience of Living with Combat‐Related Trauma.' Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 45 (3). pp. 464-479. ISSN 0194-472X

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Abstract

There has been little qualitative research into the experiences of UK partners of veterans with PTSD. This study therefore aimed to explore how partners constructed their experiences of living with the condition. Fifteen female partners of male UK veterans were recruited and interviewed. Using a social constructionist thematic analysis, five themes were constructed: the women's need to subdue own emotional and behavioral responses; dilemmas about whether the veteran was unwell or ‘bad’; attempts at negotiating multiple roles; challenging the narrative of veterans as heroes; and the relational struggle with the transition to nonmilitary life. This study highlighted the importance of considering the veteran as existing within a relational and cultural context, and the need to include partners in therapeutic interventions.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans; Marriage; Spouses; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; Adult; Aged; Middle Aged; Veterans; Female; Male; United Kingdom
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA790 Mental Health
Divisions:	Faculty of Science and Health Faculty of Science and Health > Health and Social Care, School of
SWORD Depositor:	Elements
Depositing User:	Elements
Date Deposited:	14 Jun 2018 13:06
Last Modified:	06 Jan 2022 13:51
URI:	http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/22196

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