The Impact of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Partners and Children of Australian Vietnam Veterans

Leah Giarratano

141 citations0/0 files storedAustralian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research Traumatic Brain Injury Research Migration, Health and Trauma

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study explored the emotional and physical health of a group of families of Australian Vietnam veterans suffering posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim was to study the impact of PTSD upon the families of the sufferers. METHOD: The families of a random sample of Vietnam veterans receiving treatment at a specialist PTSD Unit were invited to participate in this study. Partners of the veterans and children over the age of 15 years were eligible to participate. Four self-report psychometric inventories were administered assessing psychological distress, social climate within their families, self-esteem, and a range of lifestyle issues, including physical health. A control group, consisting of a sample of volunteers, was also surveyed. RESULTS: The partners of the Vietnam veterans showed significantly higher levels of somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction and depression than the control group. They reported significantly less cohesion and expressiveness in their families and significantly higher levels of conflict. The partners also had significantly lower levels of self-esteem. The children of the veterans reported significantly higher levels of conflict in their families. However, the children showed no significant differences on measures of psychological distress and self-esteem from their matched counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support overseas studies that indicate that the families of PTSD sufferers are also impacted by the disorder. In this study, the families of Australian Vietnam veterans experienced more conflict and their partners were significantly more psychologically distressed (i.e. somatic symptoms, anxiety, insomnia, social dysfunction, depression and low self-esteem) than a matched control group.

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References

1988A user's guide to the General Health Questionnaire 1993International Handbook of Traumatic Stress Syndromes 1992Problems in families of male Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.1993Childhood physical abuse and combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans 1998Vulnerability to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Adult Offspring of Holocaust Survivors 1988Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder among second-generation Holocaust survivors: preliminary findings 1992From Front Line to Home Front: A Study of Secondary Traumatization 1985Secondary Traumatization in Children of Vietnam Veterans

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2010Posttraumatic stress disorder in an interpersonal context.2018Posttraumatic stress disorder and relationship functioning: A comprehensive review and organizational framework 2002Violence and Hostility Among Families of Vietnam Veterans With Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 2011Paternal predictors of the mental health of children of Vietnamese refugees 2017Effects of maternal traumatic distress on family functioning and child mental health: An examination of Southeast Asian refugee families in the U.S.

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