Deployment Psychology Blog

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. 

CDP News: Jan. 13, 2017

Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. There’s lot to talk about in the coming weeks, so let’s get to it!

Research Update: Jan. 12, 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:

● A Qualitative Study of Mindfulness Among Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Practices Differentially Affect Symptoms, Aspects of Well-Being, and Potential Mechanisms of Action.
● Women in the National Guard: Coping and Barriers to Care.

Staff Perspective: A Quiz on Chronic Pain Research

I’ve always been interested in pain, even before completing the post-doc in Health Psych. Perhaps that’s because I’ve suffered an above-average number of injuries in my time: ulna fracture; concussion; compound bruise with threat of amputation mid-fibula/tibia; dislocated elbow; torn rotator cuff; knee hyperextension; metatarsal fracture; etc. Needless to say that these old injuries remind me they exist, dependent upon my level of exercise, sleep, stress, and diet, among other factors.

Pages