United States Military Section: ARMY

The phrase it takes a village

to raise a child is one that only a parent can fully grasp the meaning of. To a military family this saying is especially true because most of that time, the village these families are surrounded by is usually the village of military families Even though all families share in the common military experience, when times get hard and loved ones are away or adjusting to coming back home after a long deployment, the stress of being a military family can seem very lonely. One of the causes of this sense of loneliness may stem from something called posttraumatic stress disorder. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a condition that although is very common among military personnel who have experienced the horrors of war, can turn a family inward to the point of complete isolation from the outside world. It is through identifying the problem, obtaining the researched-based knowledge to address the issue, and having the support of the village that enables families to heal. Further research is needed to continue to support the restoration of the families of the men and women who serve our country, especially those in harms way. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or DSM-IV, posttraumatic stress is defined as a condition a person may develop after they have been exposed to a traumatic event that involved serious injury, a threat of physical injury, and a response involving intense fear, helplessness, or horror. This can include anyone who has experienced sexual assault, war, witnessed a death, or even had a close relationship with someone else who has PTSD (which is often referred to as secondary traumatization). This type of trauma exposure manifests itself in numerous symptoms for those struggling with PTSD. Some of

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Secondary Traumatization in Military Families

By Alexandria Robinson
the symptoms include recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the traumatic event, insomnia, irritability, difficulty concentrating, hyper vigilance, and others. Until recently, research on this condition has focused mainly on the individuals experience, but now psychologists are starting to see that this truly is a family condition that can have a profound effect on everyone in a family, including children and spouses of people who have PTSD themselves. Today, the War on Terror has created

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new opportunities for researchers to examine the intricate dynamics of families living with PTSD. More studies are being done now on what happens to families once a military parent comes home with PTSD after being deployed to a war-zone. Typically, when a parent comes home after being away from their family for a long time in a stressful environment, they find that things at home are not what they used to be. A lot of the time, children become so used to relying on the parent at home for all of their needs they have a hard time learning or relearning that they can now rely on both parents to take care of them. Just this new adjustment alone can create a lot of stress for everyone in the family. When parents experiencing PTSD return home the task of caring for their children can be especially daunting because these parents spend so much of their daily energy on trying to manage their anxiety. This depletion of energy may increase the struggle to provide the constant, tireless care children require. Although it is rare that children experience PTSD when their parents are deployed during a war, it is quite common for children to develop a form of PTSD known as secondary PTSD or secondary traumatization. This type of PTSD reflects similar symptoms to PTSD but involves an indirect rather than direct traumatic experience. The onset of secondary PTSD most often occurs upon the deployment of the parent, and or the return home of military personnel to their families. This is especially true if the parent has been diagnosed with PTSD themselves. Children with parents who have PTSD can react to different symptoms in a variety of ways. One common symptom of PTSD is having flashbacks of war violence while either sleeping or awake. These types of flashbacks can of course be incredibly frightening. Witnessing a parent having flash-

backs can be just as emotionally traumatizing for the child. The child often does not understand the parents behavior. Children can become frightened of their parent or even worried that their parent can no longer take care of them due to their condition. This is just one example of many showing how having parents with PTSD can lead to children having secondary traumatization. Symptoms of emotional distance and hyper arousal can also cause children to become anxious and stressed about their parent. Children learn from their parents by watching what they do and how they react, and since PTSD directly affects how people react, children with parents who have PTSD mirror the same anxious temperament their parent displays in everyday situations. Therefore, if the parent is anxious, distant, or hyper vigilant, the child may pick up on these emotions and start displaying them in one way or another on their own. This is why PTSD is a family disorder. The entire family is affected by a diagnosis of PTSD. If given support, the family can be an instrument of healing. Providing children with secondary traumatization with a positive and healthy home environment can alleviate many of the symptoms of the condition. The kind of healthy environment needed to foster healing in children or parents who have PTSD is not something that develops naturally. A proper healing environment takes a lot of work and dedication by all family members. It involves both the encouragement and support of extended family members, the village, as well as a good deal of self-care. Guilt and depression experienced by parents when they find out that their child has PSTD can often hinder them from properly addressing the issue and getting their child the help they need. In this kind of environment, parents become consumed with grief that may lead chil-

dren to believe that they personally are the source for the familys suffering. It is important that parents understand that no matter what the situation, they are not to blame if their child starts to experience secondary traumatization. As with any other anxiety disorder, PTSD is a chemical imbalanced that cannot be controlled but rather treated and in most cases cured with the right amount of time and therapy. Every family has encountered something that creates profound grief at some point in their lives. Of course not everyone gets PTSD when these lifeevents happen, but being aware, informed and knowledgeable about this disorder can save people who do end up struggling, sometimes for years with PTSD. As a society made up of families, taking care of the people around us, especially when they are recovering from trauma, whether its deployment, death, sexual assault, or some other hardship, is critical because at the end of the day, not only does it take a village to raise a child but it takes a village to raise a family as well.
Alexandria Robinson is a student at Azusa Pacific University studying clinical psychology. She has worked with disabled children for years and is currently a support provider in starting an inclusion program for exceptional children and their families at Covina Assembly of God in Covina, California.

SOURCES
AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION. DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS (REVISED 4TH ED.). (WASHINGTON, DC: 2007) HTTP://PTSDCOMBAT.BLOGSPOT. C O M / 2 0 0 6 / 07 / D S M S - D E F I N I T I O N - F O R PTSD.HTML. PHONE NUMBER (703) 907-7300. NATIONAL CENTER FOR PTSD, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HTTP://WWW.PTSD.VA.GOV/INDEX.ASP. PHONE NUMBER (802) 296-6300.

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