Female Veterans with Self-Identified PTSD: How Military Culture Informs Understanding of the Condition of PTSD and the Decision-Making Process of Seeking Treatment

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2020-08

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Abstract

This thesis explores how female veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) adapt to the condition of PTSD, its diagnosis, and subsequent labelling as informed by military culture. The work for this thesis was conducted by interviewing six female veterans from the Houston area regarding the unique challenges they face, the condition of PTSD, how daily life changes after PTSD, the process and challenges of treating the condition of PTSD, and the process of reintegration into civilian life as a PTSD sufferer. By exploring the interviews and extracting beliefs, values, and behaviors informed by military culture, this thesis illustrates the particular challenges faced by female veterans and elucidates the reasoning behind their choices throughout the process of obtaining a diagnosis and seeking treatment as they navigate civilian life.

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Keywords

PTSD, female veterans, decision-making process, adaptation, anthropology, Post-9/11 Veterans, Gulf War I Veterans

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