Nonetheless, these symptoms remain they may fade over time, but they do not disappear. Research has demonstrated that most veterans reentered civilian life successfully, even in the face of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Kulka et al., 1990a, 1990b). For the purposes of this article, the later family is conceptualized as advanced in time/age and in structural complexity. Rather, they are aging husbands, divorced men, and grandfathers who are nearing the ends of their careers or have already retired. These are no longer the just-home soldiers, young husbands and fathers of early Vietnam veteran research. This research reports on the phenomenological analysis of qualitative interviews with 10 Vietnam War infantry combat veterans who live in Ohio and Michigan. “I just didn’t fit in.” This comment is typical of Vietnam War combat veterans who returned home “to sit in my mother’s kitchen,” often within days of firing at enemy soldiers (Kovach, 2006). Keywords: Vietnam War, veterans, combat, Posttraumatic stress disorder, family, phenomenology This project has implications for veterans of the Gulf War and the current wars in the Middle East as well as for their families.
Veterans describe how combat trauma shaped experiences of nightmares, callousness, triggers, anger, startling, control, and substance abuse and interpret those behaviors as damaging or enhancing their family relationships and friendships.
The author utilizes qualitative, phenomenological analysis to examine the meaning of PTSD symptoms such as re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, arousal, and social impairment and how they influence family function. The influence of combat exposure in the Vietnam War continues into later family life as this veteran cohort ages and family structure expands.
0 kommentar(er)
