As anyone who reads this blog has probably long since surmised, I have a deeply held belief that militarism is not a solution to anything and it most certainly does not make us safe. However, I also believe that it is completely unacceptable to not provide adequate support services for those who do serve our countries and as a result suffer from physical and mental trauma. The denial of the extent to which veterans suffer from PTSD is an atrocity which results in yet more harms, including domestic violence. On Veterans Day we are therefore pleased to see this welcome research regarding the connection between domestic violence and PTSD among veterans:
“The increasing number of veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) raises the risk of domestic violence and its consequences on families and children in communities across the United States,” says Monica Matthieu, Ph.D., an expert on veteran mental health and an assistant professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Treatments for domestic violence are very different than those for PTSD. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has mental health services and treatments for PTSD, yet these services need to be combined with the specialized domestic violence intervention programs offered by community agencies for those veterans engaging in battering behavior against intimate partners and families.”
Matthieu and Peter Hovmand, Ph.D., domestic violence expert and assistant professor of social work at Washington University, are merging their research interests and are working to design community prevention strategies to address this emerging public health problem.
“The increasing prevalence of traumatic brain injury and substance use disorders along with PTSD among veterans poses some unique challenges to existing community responses to domestic violence” says Hovmand.”
Let’s hope the VA takes notice and acts on the additional treatment insights that this research allows.
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