thedrifter
03-16-08, 06:01 PM
Survey: Vets have trouble adjusting back home
The Hartford Courant via The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 16, 2008 15:40:17 EDT
HARTFORD, Conn.— At least one in four Connecticut soldiers in a recent survey fit the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder after they returned from overseas deployments, according to a new study.
It also suggested troops are reluctant to seek counseling from mental health workers, and about half said their general health was “much worse” or “somewhat worse” than before their wartime deployments.
The findings come from surveys sent to 1,000 Connecticut troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study is being conducted by Central Connecticut State University’s Center for Public Policy and Social Research with help from the Yale School of Medicine.
More than 11,000 state residents have returned from wartime deployments in the past five years, according to state officials. In the last nine months, a state hot line has fielded more than 300 calls for help from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their family members.
Linda Schwartz, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, also recently started working with the courts to ensure that newly returned veterans who are arrested for domestic violence, drunken driving or other offenses are sent to counseling programs.
“We’re trying to get (court officials) to ask people, ‘Are you a veteran?”’ Schwartz said. “It’s not that we want to give them a free ride, but we do want to make sure they get the help they need.”
Schwartz said the percentage of troops experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder is likely higher than the rate captured under the strict criteria used in the new survey.
The study noted several key concerns among returning soldiers. They include feelings of disconnection from the community, trouble communicating with non-veterans, feelings of being “tightly wound” or “aggressive,” and a fear that seeking psychological help would lead others to perceive them as weak.
“When we look at the data regarding both family and peer relationships, we see that a sizable proportion of veterans report difficulties in these areas,” the study’s authors wrote in a draft report.
The survey also found adjustment problems for some veterans returning to jobs or enrolling in colleges. Almost 20 percent said their civilian jobs were less satisfying to them when they returned, and some who returned to colleges said they felt like outsiders on campus.
Schwartz said she is asking state colleges to establish “drop-in centers” where veterans can socialize with other veterans to help ease the sense of isolation.
Ellie
The Hartford Courant via The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Mar 16, 2008 15:40:17 EDT
HARTFORD, Conn.— At least one in four Connecticut soldiers in a recent survey fit the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder after they returned from overseas deployments, according to a new study.
It also suggested troops are reluctant to seek counseling from mental health workers, and about half said their general health was “much worse” or “somewhat worse” than before their wartime deployments.
The findings come from surveys sent to 1,000 Connecticut troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The study is being conducted by Central Connecticut State University’s Center for Public Policy and Social Research with help from the Yale School of Medicine.
More than 11,000 state residents have returned from wartime deployments in the past five years, according to state officials. In the last nine months, a state hot line has fielded more than 300 calls for help from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their family members.
Linda Schwartz, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, also recently started working with the courts to ensure that newly returned veterans who are arrested for domestic violence, drunken driving or other offenses are sent to counseling programs.
“We’re trying to get (court officials) to ask people, ‘Are you a veteran?”’ Schwartz said. “It’s not that we want to give them a free ride, but we do want to make sure they get the help they need.”
Schwartz said the percentage of troops experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder is likely higher than the rate captured under the strict criteria used in the new survey.
The study noted several key concerns among returning soldiers. They include feelings of disconnection from the community, trouble communicating with non-veterans, feelings of being “tightly wound” or “aggressive,” and a fear that seeking psychological help would lead others to perceive them as weak.
“When we look at the data regarding both family and peer relationships, we see that a sizable proportion of veterans report difficulties in these areas,” the study’s authors wrote in a draft report.
The survey also found adjustment problems for some veterans returning to jobs or enrolling in colleges. Almost 20 percent said their civilian jobs were less satisfying to them when they returned, and some who returned to colleges said they felt like outsiders on campus.
Schwartz said she is asking state colleges to establish “drop-in centers” where veterans can socialize with other veterans to help ease the sense of isolation.
Ellie