Secondary Traumatic Stress in Military Spouses: A Systematic Review Open Access

Varvoutis, Maria (2016)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/nc580m79x?locale=en
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Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and deployments have a significant impact upon military families, however, a limited amount of research has been conducted on the relationship and origins between secondary traumatic stress and military spouses (STS). This systematic review explores the connections and origins of STS in a prognosis manner to provide health professionals and researchers with evidence-based research. Between June and October 2015, the researcher conducted a systematic search through PubMed, PyschINFO, Web of Science and Cochrane. Forty-five articles were included in the final analysis, and yielded two themes that affect the manifestation and prevalence of secondary traumatic stress--psychosocial and marriage satisfaction. The models found in this review illustrate a positive correlation between STS and military spouses from 1990 to 2015. Although the origins did not have a positive linear trend towards a single determining factor, the evidence suggests that lowered marital satisfaction and psychosocial health play a significant role in the manifestation of STS. The overlap of these branches interplay with the perception of military spouses in a manner that calls for further research and declaration of how mental health professional define STS specifically in the military arena. The researcher made final recommendations on methods to lower the prevalence and ultimately decrease the cost of spending on mental health in the United States military.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments...................................3

Table of Tables and Figures.....................5

Introduction..........................................6

History of Mental Health in the Military.....7

Military Spouses and STS........................9

Goals and Aims.....................................11

Results.................................................13

Psychosocial..........................................15

Marriage Satisfaction.............................17

Perception.............................................18

Gender & Age........................................19

Health Care...........................................19

Risk of Bias............................................20

Discussion.............................................21

Recommendations..................................22

Limitations............................................24

Conclusion.............................................25

References..............................................27

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