FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL OUTLINE

Your IDEA- There are so many ideas going on in my head but for now I will stick to this. My idea is to know how
well or how do veterans with PTSD survive without medication. Is it possible to live a normal life with PTSD without
taking any medications? Is there a better way to treat PTSD without medications? Should we allow the VA to treat
veterans for PTSD or should outsourcing be used to treat PTSD?

Literature Review-
"Medication treatments show little effect on veterans' PTSD symptoms." The Brown University Psychopharmacology
Update, Sept. 2014, p. 3+. Health Reference Center Academic, login.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/login?
url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=HRCA&sw=w&u=txshracd2604&v=2.1&id=GALE
%7CA383575000&it=r&asid=393f98151e322409b8f304779f41d5df.
In this article I found that medication that is given to veterans who have PTSD has shown no improvement in helping
with the effects of PTSD.

Milrod, B. Shibboleth authentication request. Retrieved March 6, 2017, from psychiatrist-com, http://www-
psychiatrist-com.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/jcp/article/Pages/2016/v77n11/v77n1111.aspx
In this article, it mentioned how did veterans come about getting PTSD. Were they recruited with PTSD or did they get
PTSD from combat.

Raines, A. M., Currier, J., McManus, E. S., Walton, J. L., Uddo, M., & Franklin, C. L. (2016). Spiritual struggles and
suicide in veterans seeking PTSD treatment. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and
Policy, doi:http://dx.doi.org.libweb.lib.utsa.edu/10.1037/tra0000239
This article was about spiritual struggles with veterans who had PTSD and who were seeking treatment were at higher
risk at committing suicide.

Theoretical Perspective- I will be using Symbolic Interactionism because veterans are more likely to express
themselves through Symbolic Interactionism instead of just speaking it out bluntly. As a veteran I know that I cant or I
dont trust others so I just dont talk about my feelings or interact with others. So I express myself through symbols
such as (when I am having an episode I choose to pray and I cry where there is no one around just me and my
emotions) while others turn to drugs or to alcohol to drown themselves. There are others who are just lost and just
commit suicide rather than dealing with it.

Research Methods- The methods that I would like to use in my research project will be Interviews, Focus Groups and
Observations. The reason I chose these three is because the Focus group will help me see how these veterans get along
and if they will all participate because they feel comfortable around each other due to them belonging to the same
group. I will interview them individually because sometimes you can or you cant get all the information from them so
I will try three methods. The Observation method is that during our focus group I will bring refreshments maybe have
a cookout and just observe them.

Research Design- My participants would be veterans who have PTSD. I will get my participants from my area code in
my neighborhood or school who have PTSD and who have been treated for PTSD. I will also make sure that they
know that I am doing this research because I want to be able to help myself and others. I will observe them in an area
where they feel comfortable or in a quiet place such as the library rooms. I will start off with individual interviews and
then I will do a focus group and then I will observe them while they mingle a little.
Collect Data/Conduct Research- I interviewed my participants and for me it wasnt an easy task. I had people who
said they would do the interview but then decided they couldnt. I struggled to find people who would be able to
participate due to my Research. Its wasnt easy to approach just random strangers and ask if they could help me with
my project. I had many veterans turn me down and I was pretty bummed I was stressed and I got depressed. I kept
telling myself those veterans are you so you understand what its like. (I did two veterans and it was not a pretty a
thing it was actually pretty intense).

Data Analysis- Organize and analyze the data you have collected through your literature reviews, interviews, focus
groups, observations etc.

Findings- What did you learn? Was it what you expected or was it different? Write up your findings for your
research/reflection paper citing the texts, scholarly literature, data gathered from your research participants and your
personal reflection on the topic.

Dissemination- Final paper uploaded to Blackboard.