The Impacts of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on war veterans in the U.S - Research Proposal Example

The Impacts of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on war veterans in the U.S

Introduction

Information explaining PTSD

Post- traumatic stress is mental illness that is associated with experiencing a shocking or traumatic event in one’s life. Some of the incidents could involve one facing death or a life- threatening situation. Therefore, that may explain the reason why soldiers who have been involved in active combat may have a higher chance of contracting the disorder. People who suffer from PTSD may exhibit symptoms such as withdrawal, anger issues, anxiety or many others . PTSD is now recognized as a serious condition, and that may have in part led to the generation of interventions that are aimed at treating it and helping those who suffer from it to go back to living as normal lives as possible. Moreover, there is a lot of research put into secondary conditions associated with PTSD such as alcohol addiction, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Researchers would naturally hope that they can predict the likely prevalence of conditions such as depression and alcohol addiction by analyzing the victims suffering from PTSD.

PTSD is a debilitating condition that is estimated to affect 7-8% of the population . However, the prevalence is higher among war veterans as compared to the general civilian population. The department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has over the years seen surging cases of PTSD among officers returning from duty tours of Iraq and Afghanistan in what is seen as an issue that is of great concern to the nation. Many of the soldiers who come back home from combat may find it extremely hard to adapt after time spent on the frontlines. Some may turn to drug and alcohol abuse to cope with the trauma. Moreover, they may find themselves with no one to turn to or any way to deal with their situation, leading to cases of depression and suicidal thoughts.

As the cases of PTSD among veterans grow in numbers and complexity, there is a need to do all that is possible to get them better treatment and ensure that they have a better way of coping with the trauma from their time spent on the battlefield. Therefore, that makes it all the more important to have the proper information and knowledge that will help in treating those suffering from PTSD and to ensure that there are better outcomes for the veterans of war . The ultimate goal is to ensure that veterans are able to live better and healthier lives where they can overcome any trauma from the time that they spent on the battleground far away from home. There is a recognition that only better information and comprehensive clinical research that will help in developing a better understanding of PTSD and the resultant conditions that may manifest in veterans dealing with post-war trauma . Ultimately, the fact that those who suffer from PTSD are also likely to suffer from other disorders such as alcohol addiction and depression makes it all the more important to look into the issue and to find better ways of diagnosing and treating PTSD.

Literature Review

There has been growing literature on PTSD which is a reflection of the importance attached to the issue from both a medical and psychological standpoint. PTSD among war veterans is especially concerning given the fact that they are people who happen to have had a firsthand view of the effects of war . Therefore, the first thing would be to understand why people who have served in battle are at an elevated risk of suffering from PTSD. Ultimately, any war is bound to claim people from both sides. Therefore, soldiers in the battlefield see a lot of dead bodies of people killed in battle. Some of the bodies may be badly mutilated as a result of landmines or bombs. The images of dead bodies lying around may remain etched in the minds of the soldiers long after they return home from battle, and that is a significant trigger of PTSD.

Many veterans suffer with varying levels of PTSD. They often find themselves having to look for coping mechanisms to deal with their condition. Therefore, it is not rare to find veterans turning to drugs and alcohol as a means to deal with PTSD . For them, these two probably offer a temporary release from their problems and help them forget everything, albeit momentarily. Consequently, a growing number of veterans often find themselves having to deal with alcohol addiction on top of their PTSD.

PTSD has been known to cause a lot of complications for its sufferers. Many often show depressive symptoms that may include anxiety disorders, anger issues, and withdrawal. It is also not rare to find some of the people with PTSD contemplating suicide. The truth is that those who suffer from depression may feel as though ending their lives is the only way out for them and the only avenue left to end their suffering. Studies have shown that people suffering from PTSD are likely to see their overall quality of life decrease . They may find it hard to cope with every day activities such as work and school, thereby making it hard for them to live normal lives.

The Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of PTSD on war veterans in the US. With thousands of veterans returning from different parts of the world, the hallowing events have an effect on their mental stability. Therefore, the study will try to establish how the events have an impact on their lives.

METHODOLOGY

Design

The comparison of PTSD symptoms of treatment group and non-treatment group will be the dependent variable. Non-treatment group will receive placebo. On the other hand, the experiment group will receive medication and therapy, thereby, forming an independent variable.

This is an experimental study where the group will receive medication and therapy. This will be independent variable. Secondly, the study will compare PTSD symptoms of the treatment group and non-treatment group. This will form the dependent variable.

Participants

Eligibility requirements-To be considered as a respondent in this study, a person must veteran who has suffered from PTSD. Age of the veteran will not be a major factor. However, the subjects must have been involved as servicemen in active combat and must have served for at least 6 months.

Recruitment-The recruitment will be through counseling centers. The facilities will provide critical information that will be used to ensure that all respondents meet the set eligibility criteria. In addition, family members will be informed regarding the aim of the study.

Materials

Additionally, the respondents will be subjected to an alcohol test using breatherlysers as well as the heart rate. The heart rate figures will be used to estimate the stress levels of the ex-service men used in the sample. On the other hand, the breatherlyser scores will be used to estimate the alcohol level in the sample, which is a crucial data in this research. Noteworthy, all the respondents will be required to sign an informed consent form for the experimental procedures.

Procedures

The study will be conducted in the United States in a bid to be in tandem with the research objectives. The data will be extrapolated from the states of California, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York which have the highest number of veterans in the United States. Procedurally, the raw data will be collected and stored securely. After the storage, the researcher will sort the data into manageable clusters in a bid to ensure that all the outliers and spoilt data are eliminated. After the sorting, the data will be subjected to statistical tests like the measures of central tendencies to extract vital information relating to the core objectives of the study. Additionally, the data will be processed by the MS Excel software. Of great importance is ensuring that the data is collected, stored, and analyzed ethically to uphold the validity of the research. When it comes to collecting data, the researcher will collect data through interviews and self- assessment questionnaires to be filled by veterans who have suffered PTSD. The questionnaires will be as detailed as possible to enable the subjects of the study to make as accurate choices as possible to enable the researcher to achieve the best results. The questionnaires will be issued to random sample size of 50 veterans. The rationale for the selection of the sample for the study will be guided by the position of the veterans in the society. By definition, a sample is a representation of a population. As such, it much cheaper as opposed to using bulk population data that is not only expensive to handle but also prone to computational errors. The collection of the sample information will be confidential as the respondents will fill the questionnaires discretely and would not be required to provide any personal information like their names. However, details like their age, military ranks, and gender will be collected to enhance the descriptive nature of the research design. The research will take approximately 12 months. The time will be enough to observe the veterans and document their reactions towards the medication.

Methodological control

The accuracy of the research is highly dependent on the relevance of the raw data to the research objectives. As such, the research will discredit all the data outliers that might lead to statistical errors. As such, all the questionnaires that will not be filled clearly will be discredited. Also, only sober respondents will be used for the study to ensure that the information presented is adequate and not as a result of third-party influence.

Projected Results

The study will employ both the descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze quantitative data. This will be significant in establishing the statistical significance of the results obtained. The hypothesis will be tested at 95% level of significance. This will be important in reducing type 1 and type 2 errors. The descriptive statistics will include frequencies, cross tabulation and regression analysis. On the other hand, inferential statistics will involve regression analysis. During presentation of the quantitative data, tables and figures will be used. Furthermore, qualitative analysis will be analyzed through the use of thematic analysis. The core data variables used in research are the PTSD in the veterans and the substance addiction and suicidal thoughts. As such, the results are expected to show a positive correlation between the PTSD in the veterans and substance addiction and suicidal thoughts. Additionally, the lack of adequate governmental intervention and proper care for the veterans will be strongly correlated to the increased cases of PTSD among the veterans. Statistical analysis tool will be used to get whether there are any correlations between variables. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Excel and Strata will be used in analyzing data. The software will be significant in making it possible to make a well-informed conclusion regarding the topic under study. Furthermore, recommendations that can be used for drafting policies will be supported by this data.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The questions to be posed to the subjects of the study will cover a wide range of issues including possible struggles with addiction, instances of suicidal thoughts, and issues related to quality of life such as withdrawal from people, and struggles coping at work or with everyday activities. A study on PTSD is likely to reveal issues of people struggling to cope with the condition and also struggling to live normal lives. War veterans represent a class of people who went to great lengths and risked their lives to secure the liberties that the rest of their countrymen enjoy. Therefore, it is important to understand their suffering and do all that is possible to enable them live as normal lives as possible.