scholarly journals ‘Master My Demons’: art therapy montage paintings by active-duty military service members with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marygrace Berberian ◽  
Melissa S Walker ◽  
Girija Kaimal
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Art Therapy ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Active Duty ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Active Duty Military ◽  
Military Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic

This study involved a thematic analysis of montage paintings and of related clinical records of 240 active-duty military service members collected during their art therapy treatment for traumatic brain injury and underlying psychological health concerns, including post-traumatic stress, at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Congruent with other research findings, the qualitative analyses of this study suggest that the group art therapy experiences fostered improvement in interpersonal relatedness, hopefulness and gratification for the service members in treatment, aiding in externalisation, progressive exposure and construction of a trauma narrative imperative for recovery. The mixed media nature of the montage painting supported the expression of a range of postcombat symptoms. Results from this study highlighted the complexity of military culture, necessitating a broader scope of analyses for how art therapy helps service members express and communicate their challenges to care providers, peers and family as well as regulate emotion in the short and long term.

Prospective study of anxiety, post-traumatic stress and depression on postural control, gait, otolith and visuospatial function in military service members with persistent post-concussive symptoms

2019 ◽  
pp. 271-287
Author(s):  
◽  
Andrew Lewandowski ◽  
Lindell K. Weaver ◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injury ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
High Anxiety ◽  
Affective Symptoms ◽  
Military Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic

Purpose: Military service members often report both affective and vestibular complaints after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), but associations between symptoms and vestibular deficits can be subtle and inconsistent. Methods: From two complementary studies, one of military service members with persistent post-concussive symptoms after mTBI (NCT01611194) and the other of adult volunteers with no history of brain injury (NCT01925963), affective symptoms were compared to postural control, gait, otolith and visuospatial function. Results: The studies enrolled 71 participants with mTBI and 75 normative controls. Participants with mTBI had significantly reduced postural equilibrium on the sensory organization test (SOT), and more so in those with high anxiety or post-traumatic stress. Cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMP; oVEMP) showed prolonged latencies in mTBI participants compared to controls; oVEMPs were significantly delayed in mTBI participants with high anxiety, post-traumatic stress or depression. A subset of the mTBI group had abnormal tandem gait and high anxiety. Anxiety, posttraumatic stress, and depression did not correlate with performance on the 6-Minute Walk Test, visuospatial neuropsychological measures, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale in the mTBI group. Conclusions: In this study military service members with mTBI reported affective symptoms, concurrently with vestibular-balance concerns. Worse scores on affective measures were associated with abnormal findings on measures of postural control, gait and otolith function.

scholarly journals Mental Health Outcomes Among Military Service Members After Severe Injury in Combat and TBI

2019 ◽  
Vol 185 (5-6) ◽  
pp. e711-e718 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L Chin ◽  
John E Zeber
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Military Service Members ◽  
Severe Tbi ◽  
Post Traumatic

Abstract Introduction Studies examining the mental health outcomes of military personnel deployed into combat zones have focused on the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder conferred by mild or moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, other mental health outcomes among veterans who sustained critical combat injuries have not been described. Materials and Method We examined the associations of moderate and severe TBI and combat injury with the risk for anxiety and mood disorders, adjustment reactions, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, cognitive disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of U.S. military service members critically injured in combat during military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan from February 1, 2002, to February 1, 2011. Health care encounters from (1) the Department of Defense (DoD) Trauma Registry (TR), (2) acute and ambulatory care in military facilities, and (3) civilian facilities are reimbursed by Tricare. Service members who sustained severe combat injury require critical care. We estimated the risk of mental health outcomes using risk-adjusted logit models for demographic and clinical factors. We explored the relationship between TBI and the total number of mental health diagnoses. Results Of the 4,980 subjects who met inclusion criteria, most injuries occurred among members of the Army (72%) or Marines (25%), with mean (SD) age of 25.5(6.1) years. The prevalence of moderate or severe TBI was 31.6% with explosion as the most common mechanism of injury (78%). We found 71% of the cohort was diagnosed with at least one poor mental health condition, and the adjusted risk conferred by TBI ranged from a modest increase for anxiety disorder (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.45) to a large increase for cognitive disorder (odds ratio, 3.24; 95% CI, 2.78–3.77). We found TBI was associated with an increased number of mental health diagnoses (incidence rate ratio, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.42–1.63). Conclusions Combat-associated TBI may have a broad effect on several mental health conditions among critically injured combat casualties. Early recognition and treatment for trauma-associated mental health are crucial to improving outcomes among service personnel as they transition to post-deployment care in the DoD, Department of Veterans Affairs, or community health systems.

scholarly journals Trajectories of trauma symptoms and resilience in deployed US military service members: Prospective cohort study

2012 ◽  
Vol 200 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Bonanno ◽  
Anthony D. Mancini ◽  
Jaime L. Horton ◽  
Teresa M. Powell ◽  
Cynthia A. LeardMann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Military Service ◽  
National Guard ◽  
Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Growth Mixture Modelling ◽  
Military Service Members ◽  
Post Traumatic

BackgroundMost previous attempts to determine the psychological cost of military deployment have been limited by reliance on convenience samples, lack of pre-deployment data or confidentiality and cross-sectional designs.AimsThis study addressed these limitations using a population-based, prospective cohort of US military personnel deployed in support of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.MethodThe sample consisted of US military service members in all branches including active duty, reserve and national guard who deployed once (n= 3393) or multiple times (n= 4394). Self-reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress were obtained prior to deployment and at two follow-ups spaced 3 years apart. Data were examined for longitudinal trajectories using latent growth mixture modelling.ResultsEach analysis revealed remarkably similar post-traumatic stress trajectories across time. The most common pattern was low–stable post-traumatic stress or resilience (83.1% single deployers, 84.9% multiple deployers), moderate–improving (8.0%, 8.5%), then worsening–chronic posttraumatic stress (6.7%, 4.5%), high–stable (2.2% single deployers only) and high–improving (2.2% multiple deployers only). Covariates associated with each trajectory were identified.ConclusionsThe final models exhibited similar types of trajectories for single and multiple deployers; most notably, the stable trajectory of low post-traumatic stress pre- to post-deployment, or resilience, was exceptionally high. Several factors predicting trajectories were identified, which we hope will assist in future research aimed at decreasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among deployers.

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