• Military medicine · Jul 2023

    A Qualitative Study of the Expectations, Experiences, and Perceptions That Underpin Decisions Regarding PTSD Treatment in Help-seeking Veterans.

    • Mark Hinton, Olivia Metcalf, Tracey Varker, Greg Roebuck, Violette McGaw, Loretta Watson, Julia Fredrickson, Lucinda Johnson, David Forbes, Andrea Phelps, Dzenana Kartal, Lisa Dell, Richard Bryant, Alexander C McFarlane, Malcolm Hopwood, and Meaghan O'Donnell.
    • Phoenix Australia-Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC 3053, Australia.
    • Mil Med. 2023 Jul 22; 188 (7-8): e2234e2241e2234-e2241.

    IntroductionA range of evidence-based treatments are available for PTSD. However, many veterans with PTSD do not engage in these treatments. Concurrently, various novel PTSD treatments with little or no evidence based are increasingly popular among veterans. This qualitative study explored the expectations, experiences, and perceptions of help-seeking veterans with PTSD to improve understanding of how these veterans make treatment decisions.Materials And MethodsFifteen treatment-seeking veterans with PTSD participated in the study. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.ResultsA number of themes and subthemes emerged from the data, providing a detailed account of the factors that influenced participants' treatment decisions. Most participants were in an acute crisis when they made the initial decision to seek treatment for their PTSD. In choosing a specific treatment, they tended to follow recommendations made by other veterans or health professionals or orders or directions from their superiors, health providers, or employers. Few participants actively considered the scientific evidence supporting different treatments. Participants had a strong preference for treatment provided by or involving other veterans. They reported finding PTSD treatments helpful, although some were not convinced of the value of evidence-based treatments specifically. Many participants reported negative experiences with treatment providers.ConclusionsThese findings will inform strategies to improve engagement of veterans in evidence-based PTSD treatments and advance progress toward veteran-centered care.© The Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2022. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

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