Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Lee‐Tauler, Su Yeon
• LaCroix, Jessica M.
• Huppert, Tierney K.
• Winters, Amber M.
• Stivers, Max
• Arellano‐Euribe, A. Penelope
• Grammer, Joseph
• Cobb, Erin
• Alvarado, Kathryn J.
• Boyd, David
• Patterson, Lee E.
• Golle, Mario F.
• Ghahramanlou‐Holloway, Marjan

Titel

A qualitative study of military service members undergoing medical separation

Ist Teil von

• Journal of clinical psychology, 2024-06, Vol.80 (6), p.1345-1364

Ort / Verlag

United States: Wiley Periodicals Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2024

Quelle

Wiley-Blackwell Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Objective Little research explores military perspectives on medical disability‐related transition. A qualitative study sought to understand transition experiences of United States military Service members found unfit for duty following medical and physical evaluation boards (MEBs and PEBs). Methods Confidential telephone interviews were conducted with 25 current and prior Service members. Participants were asked to share their experiences before, during, and after the MEB and PEB processes. Interview questions explored (1) health conditions that prompted the medical disability evaluation, (2) reactions to being recommended for separation, (3) transition‐related stress and challenges, and (4) coping strategies. Salient themes were identified across chronological narratives. Results Participants expressed that debilitating physical (e.g., injury) and/or mental (e.g., post‐traumatic stress disorder) illnesses prompted their medical evaluation. In response to the unfit for duty notice, some participants reported emotional distress (e.g., anxiety, anger) connected to uncertainty about the future. Other participants reported relief connected to a sense of progression toward their medical disability claim status. Transition stress included the length of the MEB/PEB process, impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the process, financial stress, impact on family life, and compounded effect of these stressors on emotional distress, including depression and suicidal thoughts. Participants reported using adaptive (e.g., psychotherapy) and maladaptive (e.g., excessive drinking) strategies to cope with stress. Conclusion Preliminary reports of emotional distress and transition stress following unfit for duty notices highlight the need for increased support and interventions to facilitate adaptive coping strategies during this vulnerable period.