Domestic abuse is an issue that impacts both military and civilian families. All behavioral health providers should, at a minimum, know how to safely ask clients about it and be aware of the resources available for use when abuse is disclosed. However, many clinical providers, working both on and off military installations, report knowing very little about this topic.
When developing a case conceptualization, we often consider the co-occurring psychological factors at play; however, we may neglect to fully consider the many social factors involved. Maercker and Horn (2013) developed a three level model of socio-interpersonal factors related to the development of PTSD, which can be useful when forming a case conceptualization. The first level considers social affective changes and encompasses factors such as shame, guilt, anger, and revenge. The second level examines close social relationships including social support, and the third level includes distant social contexts such as one’s culture.
Since 1968 Americans have known to call 911 during emergencies to activate either the police, fire department, or emergency medical response. When my own house caught fire in late 2019, as I ran to find a garden hose in the dark, I yelled to my then 15 year old son, “call 911.” It’s a phrase so ingrained in our American psyche that we instinctively know to activate that response in our times of panic, fear, and need. But each year millions of 911 calls are made due to issues related to emotional distress or mental health problems for which police, fire, rescue, and EMS services are not always the optimal responders.
For this week's Staff Perspective blog entry, we're going to take a quick look at a few interesting and military-psychology related stories from around the Internet.
In October 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Health Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry jointly declared a “National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health” (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021). The declaration highlighted rising rates of significant mental health needs amongst pediatric age ranges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and further noted the concern for lack of services prepared to address such substantial need.