Introduction and Objectives
The objectives of the paper have the following connotations. It is necessary to overview veterans as a distinct social group and categorize them. Moreover, the goal is to discuss health problems and three vital elements that affect reintegration. Lastly, it is necessary to identify the components of profound nursing evaluation of veterans and to determine the cultural competencies required to address the issue.
Veterans as a Social Group
Men and women from all generational, racial, cultural, religious, and political origins come together in the military to create a special social group where they are subjected to unusual living circumstances. Members of the armed forces train to temporarily give up their reliance on friends and family at home in return for the support and companionship of their comrades. In this new setting, soldiers are working together for a similar goal (Cooper et al., 2018). The identity of a soldier changes along with their feeling of duty, honor, loyalty, and dedication to the country, which is unmatched in their daily lives. As a result, growing fraternity and sisterhood frequently result in lasting, meaningful connections that transcend years of active service.
Impact of War on Veterans’ Health
Regardless of the conflict they may have fought in, veterans as a group have a number of traits in common that set them apart. People who have seen combat firsthand have gone through traumatizing situations that most civilians cannot comprehend. Even when on non-combat tasks, military personnel run the danger of becoming hurt in accidents or explosions (Cooper et al., 2018). Many of these wounds can result in functional, physical, cognitive, psychological, or psychosocial disability. Veterans may also get inexplicable ailments and be exposed to various infectious and environmental disorders.
Veterans Categories
Because geographical circumstances, level of military expertise, kind of combat weaponry, and other elements have differed over the many conflicts the U.S. military has been involved in, each has had a unique effect. Veterans’ capacity to effectively transition to civilian life is influenced by a variety of factors, including the amount of time spent in service, the type of military experience, and whether one experienced physical or psychological trauma while on deployment (Cooper et al., 2018). Three groups of veterans should be distinguished when examining wars in which the United States has been involved: those who served in World War II, in the Vietnam War, and in the War on Terror (implying Afghanistan and Iraq).
World War II Veterans
From 1941 through 1945, more than 16 million Americans enlisted in the military to fight in World War II (Cooper et al., 2018). Approximately 500,000 veterans are still living today (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012). Even though some of these warriors are in their 80s and 90s, they can still recall parts of those occasions, particularly the emotional and physical damage they endured despite having survived the war. Rapid amputations, brain traumas, spontaneous limb amputations, partial convulsions, and vascular damage were the most common combat injuries during World War II (Pugh et al., 2018). The soldiers experienced tremendous psychological stress in addition to the physical repercussions of the combat, which profoundly impacted brain function.
Vietnam War Veterans
The majority of American soldiers who are still alive today are considered to be Vietnam War veterans (Cooper et al., 2018). In this example, deterioration in family relationships, an increase in smoking, a decline in life satisfaction, and an increase in general health complaints were all linked to various psychiatric problems. It is thought that the societal changes that took place during the Vietnam War made veterans more susceptible to integration issues. Major depression, chronic sickness, injury, alcoholism, drug overdose, and suicide were all common among Vietnam veterans (Pugh et al., 2018). This group also includes American POWs who were malnourished and tortured physically and mentally and were kept in Vietnam until the early 1970s (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012).
War on Terror Veterans
The US military has been exposed to several harmful chemical and environmental risks as a result of the War on Terror. These dangers include exposure to infectious illnesses, sand and dust particles, shards carrying hazardous materials, paint, fire pit debris, and mortar warfare sounds (Pugh et al., 2018). Following these conflicts, the soldiers developed a number of symptoms collectively known as the Gulf War syndrome, including functional gastrointestinal problems, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and unidentified ailments (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012). The significant susceptibility of veterans in this category to sexual harassment was another important issue. Veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan frequently exhibit symptoms of PTSD, much like other war-related instances.
Reintegration Issues
An Overview
Reintegration is the process of returning to one’s previous life duties after leaving an organization when one was previously cut off from daily life in the community. The phase of reintegration can be difficult and has an impact on things like mental health and overall acclimatization to civilian life. Communities must be aware of the difficulties that veterans can have in order to offer them the right chances and services for a smooth transition (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012). There are a number of various social, economic, physical, and psychological factors affecting the reintegration and its success. The transition to normal life and social norms is easy for some veterans. However, it becomes a major challenge for others.
Mental Health in Veterans
The situation of veterans’ mental health is a crucial area of research. This demographic group struggles with mental health concerns and seeks therapy. On the other hand, a big part of the same population could not have similar issues. While some veterans may feel that coming up with new coping mechanisms or reviewing old ones may be useful to overall mental health, others may find the recommended or necessary coping mechanisms to be useless or unpleasant (Cooper et al., 2018). For a variety of reasons, such as reluctance to accept a diagnosis that would have an impact on their future or reluctance to admit that their behavior may have an underlying cause, mental health symptoms are often underreported.
Factors Influencing Reintegration
After serving in the armed forces, these social groupings are returning to a less-than-ideal social setting. Many veterans have anxiety, sleeplessness, and tension that interferes with their everyday life. Many veterans find it challenging to talk about their views and sentiments following a deployment with civilians who have not had comparable experiences. Veterans also develop a variety of abilities over the course of their years of service, many of which are not necessarily transferable or applicable to the civilian world (Kersey-Matusiak, 2012). As a result, even though they may be highly competent in various fields, some people may have trouble getting jobs. As they try to move from military duty to civilian life, this disparity between their prior military employment classification and civilian work status can be a cause of stress. As a result, these challenges turn into formidable impediments to their reintegration.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
It becomes difficult for veterans to sleep peacefully at night or focus throughout the day because they experience dreams about friends who may have been killed or gravely hurt in front of their eyes. Due to the symptoms and frequency among veterans, this issue represents one of the most significant obstacles to effective reintegration. Veterans’ PTSD treatment is developing into a critical public health issue that affects not only health care costs but, more importantly, relationships within the community (Cooper et al., 2018). Veterans’ quality of life is substantially impacted by posttraumatic stress disorder, which also has a huge influence on their family and social environments. Veterans with PTSD sometimes have trouble re-establishing meaningful relationships with their spouses and children, and they frequently struggle to reintegrate into the workforce.
Employment
Finding work, according to more than two-thirds of veterans, has been the hardest part of their adjustment to civilian life. Some companies might not perceive time in the military as job experience and may view it as a resume gap. Employers can worry that a veteran cannot transition well and that this will damage their ability to do their job. They could also be reluctant to recruit veterans if they have continuing medical conditions. It can be difficult for a returning veteran to adjust to various attitudes and work ethics in the workplace (McCants & Seibert, 2022). In contrast to their time in the military, a veteran might potentially be given a position where working in a team is discouraged in favor of competitiveness. Veterans may feel overrun by their abundance of employment options. These elements have a significant impact on reintegration and provide a significant obstacle for many veterans.
Sexual Traumas
Veterans in areas of deployment continue to experience sexual trauma. It is believed that a very small number of veterans report sexual harassment despite the fact that both male and female veterans have experienced sexual assault. Many veterans find it challenging to restart their regular lives after leaving the military since these events leave an irreparable impact on their psyches (McCants & Seibert, 2022). Unfortunately, a lot of veterans are returning home to a culture that is blind to the challenges they confront in reintegrating into society.
Cultural Competencies
Nurses working with veterans must put their understanding of the social and cultural aspects that influence nursing and treatment into practice in a variety of settings. When delivering culturally competent treatment, the best available data and evidence should be employed (McCants & Seibert, 2022). It is essential to advocate for social justice, which includes a dedication to safeguarding the health of vulnerable groups and tackling health inequities (Meyer & Wynn, 2018). Additionally required is engagement in the ongoing development of cultural competencies.
Steps for Nurses to Assist Veterans
When gathering preliminary information, the nurse should start by learning the patient’s military status and the nature of these encounters. It is possible to ask for this information during the medical history or cultural evaluation stages. After it has been established whether a patient is a member of the armed forces, it is crucial to screen for a history of exposure to harmful substances, physical or sexual trauma, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicidal thoughts (Meyer & Wynn, 2018). The nurse can discover any resources required to care for the patient by knowing the patient’s living situation and job status.
Self-Reflection Questions
In order to provide culturally competent care for veterans, nurses have to comprehend their practice with self-reflection therapies. The questions they can use are the following.
- How much military background do you know about the patients?
- How would you see and feel about each of the patients?
- Which competencies would aid the nurse in caring for veterans?
- What details would have an impact on veterans in order to guarantee that culturally appropriate treatment is given?
- What methods would be most effective in addressing the unique requirements of veterans?
Conclusions
Veterans are a distinctive cultural group with unique cultural and social experiences, as well as a set of skills. Reintegration becomes a pressing issue for many veterans, while society is sometimes reluctant to accept them. The three most faced issues in reintegration became PTSD, Employment challenges, and sexual traumas. In this case, culturally competent nursing and advocating for social development can assist veterans in their process of going back to normal social lives. Nurses must come up with techniques to make sure they give culturally competent care when they come across veterans in their practice because of the efforts and sacrifices that servicemen and women make throughout their lives to secure the welfare of our society.
Recommendations
In light of the aforementioned, it is necessary to present several recommendations on the topic. First of all, it is crucial to ensure high-quality nursing education in every facility. When dealing with veterans, it is vital to have a basic knowledge about the conflicts they were exposed to, which will ease the contact between the nurse and the veteran. Moreover, cultural competence principles should focus more on the reintegration issue since the number of ongoing conflicts does not seem to lessen.
References
Cooper, L., Caddick, N., Godier, L., Cooper, A., & Fossey, M. (2018). Transition from the military into civilian life: An exploration of cultural competence. Armed forces & society, 44(1), 156-177.
Kersey-Matusiak, G. (2012). Delivering culturally competent nursing care. Springer Publishing Company.
Meyer, E. G., & Wynn, G. H. (2018). The importance of US military cultural competence. Military and veteran mental health, 15-33.
McCants, K. M., & Seibert, D. C. (2022). Policy and cultural competence for providers. In Shaping Nursing Healthcare Policy (pp. 127-138). Academic Press.
Pugh, M. J., Swan, A. A., Carlson, K. F., Jaramillo, C. A., Eapen, B. C., Dillahunt-Aspillaga, C. (2018). Traumatic brain injury severity, comorbidity, social support, family functioning, and community reintegration among veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 99(2), 40-49.