Deployment Psychology Blog

Guest Perspective: Serving Military and Veteran Couples in Crisis

I never served. My time would have been during the Vietnam War. But from 1970-1974, I completed my undergraduate studies under a 2-S student deferment; when President Nixon revoked the student deferment with a new draft bill in September 1971, the first to be impacted were men in the Class of ’75 – those a year behind me. When the draft lottery was held in August of 1971 for men in my cohort, I drew #264. (Had I been born on December 4th of 1952 instead of January 4th, I would have drawn #1.) And so I transitioned uninterrupted from undergraduate to graduate studies, completing my doctoral degree three years after the fall of Saigon.

Research Update: Jan. 19, 2017

The CDP's weekly research update contains the latest news, journal articles and useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include:

● Effect of directness of exposure and trauma type on Mental Health Literacy of PTSD.
● Psychological and physical pain as predictors of suicide risk: evidence from clinical and neuroimaging findings.

Staff Perspective: A Spotlight on Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain is a common complaint in Service members and Veterans. Indeed over half of the Veterans returning from service in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom report chronic pain. The harsh physical stresses of the military life can leave lasting effects. Soldiers are often required to carry extremely heavy loads of equipment and gear (which can approach or exceed 100 pounds) for long periods of time. Frequent physical training and exertion can take a toll on the body. Physical discomfort is often overlooked in favor of accomplishing the mission. All of these factors (and many more, common in military life) make it easy to see how Service member and Veterans can be at risk for issues with chronic pain.

Guest Perspective: Making it Work - One Deployment at a Time

Many years ago, I just had one name and one role.  I was Katie.  That’s who I was, and that was all.  Throughout this journey of life, I have adopted and adapted to other names and other roles.  I have been Airman, Miss, and teacher.  About ten years ago, I became wife.  That was a major role change on its own, but I added “military wife” to it as well.  Having been a military member myself, the military lifestyle wasn’t so hard to adapt to until I added my next name, Mama. 

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