Resiliency and Posttraumatic Growth Following Sexual Trauma in Women Veterans of Iraq and Afghan Wars

Abstract

Women veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) experience a myriad of traumatic stressors, including high rates of Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Furthermore, there is an upsurge in combat exposure, length and number of deployments, and/or perceived personal danger in these eras compared to women veterans of previous eras. These stressors can increase the risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women veterans with combat exposure and/or MST experience PTSD differently than civilian women or military men, and therefore may require tailored and integrative treatments. Interventions that focus on resiliency and posttraumatic growth (PTG) may help decrease symptom presentation, increase quality of life, and reduce the utilization/cost of care. Moreover, resiliency-based interventions could offer a recovery-oriented framework that reinforces positive psychology constructs that may promote growth following trauma. To investigate these concepts, we interviewed four women from the OEF/OIF/OND eras who have experienced MST and/or received a diagnosis of PTSD. We explored four major areas: experiences of life after military, impact of trauma on factors that influence resiliency, helpful and unhelpful interventions for trauma recovery, and the concepts of resiliency and posttraumatic growth. These women generally felt a sense of lost identity following trauma and in post-military life, and they expressed a desire for therapy groups to support and foster connections to women with similar experiences. We also observed that they had a general understanding of resilience but lacked in-depth knowledge as it could apply to trauma recovery and welcomed opportunities to learn these skills in group settings.