Work-Family Conflict May Trigger PTSD in Female Soldiers
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While combat exposure is a recognized trigger for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), new research shows work-family conflicts are also a significant predictor of PTSD in female military personnel.
Researchers at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research screened 2344 Air Force women using specific criteria in regard to parental status, deployment to a theatre of war, and deployment at least one time since March 19, 2003 during Operation Iraqi freedom. Of these, 1114 women met the criteria and were included in the study. Statistically the group broke down as follows: Mean Age 36 years Mean Education 14.7 years Married 44.6% Never Married 29.9% Divorced 22.7% Separated or Widowed 2.8% Deployed in a Theatre of War at Time of Study 62.0% Dependent Child/Children at Time of Deployment 35.9% Officers 25.8% Enlisted Personnel 74.3% Interestingly, the study revealed many positive things about the military women's relationship to their work. For example 51 percent said it was "very likely" or "extremely likely" that they would continue to serve in the Air Force and about 18 percent said it was likely they would re-enlist. Nearly half the women surveyed said their home life rarely or never interfered with their work or made it difficult to complete their tasks or spend time on career related activities--although this may not be surprising considering 61 percent did not have dependent children at the time of deployment. Unfortunately, researchers also found that about one in five were also experiencing at least one strong indicator of PTSD and that those who indicated that they experienced higher levels of work-family conflict were also more likely to have depression, anxiety and were more likely to report problems dealing with daily demands and responsibilities. Findings from a similar study by Piece and Vinokur from 1991 supported the fact that the family-work conflict experienced by women veterans was greater than that found in representative community samples of that same time period. According to Pierce, "We were surprised to find that work-family conflict is an independent and significant predictor of PTSD, above and beyond combat exposure," said Penny Pierce, a colonel in the Air Force Reserve Program, who presented preliminary findings from the survey at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association. "This finding is important because there are things we can do to help minimize work-family stress and the toll it is taking on women in the military." Read more: Work-family conflict a factor in PTSD SHARE:
Posted In: Family Dynamics | Stress & Coping | Tags: Air Force | Family | Female | Post Traumatic Stress Disorder | Ptsd | Stress | War | Women | Work Family | Posted by FindCounseling.com Staff on August 21, 2007 at 10:06 AM | Permalink |
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