PTSD in Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans: Care and Policy
This paper examines post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, a population estimated at 1.3 million individuals at risk. It profiles the demographic characteristics of this group, outlines their primary healthcare needs—including therapy, pharmacological intervention, and substance abuse treatment—and identifies key barriers to care such as military culture stigma and dishonorable discharge status. The paper reviews relevant policies, including statements by the American Public Health Association, and available community-based resources. It then discusses how nurses can promote systemic change through advocacy, networking, and stakeholder engagement, and argues that interprofessional collaboration is essential to delivering holistic, coordinated care for this underserved veteran population.
- Introduction: Overview of veteran PTSD scope and paper aims
- The Population and Demographics: Profile of 1.3 million at-risk veterans by age, gender, race
- Healthcare Needs: Therapy, medication, and barriers to seeking care
- Policies and Resources: APHA policies, VA access rules, and community organizations
- How Nursing Can Promote Change: Advocacy, networking, and stakeholder engagement strategies
- Interprofessional Collaboration for Veterans: Holistic team-based care for complex veteran needs
- Conclusion: Summary of key findings and calls for systemic change
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What makes this paper effective
- Grounds every claim in cited research or official policy sources, lending credibility to a sensitive healthcare topic.
- Moves logically from population description to needs assessment to solutions, creating a coherent problem-to-action structure.
- Balances macro-level policy analysis with practical, field-level nursing strategies, making it relevant to multiple audiences.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a public-health framework to connect population epidemiology with policy critique and professional advocacy. Rather than treating PTSD solely as a clinical issue, the author situates it within systemic barriers—military stigma culture, discharge status requirements, and fragmented care—then proposes concrete nursing and interprofessional responses. This "problem–barrier–solution" structure is a strong model for health policy writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with an epidemiological framing of the veteran PTSD crisis, then profiles the population across demographic dimensions. Subsequent sections address healthcare needs, policy context, available community resources, nursing-led advocacy strategies, and interprofessional collaboration. The conclusion synthesizes all threads, reinforcing the urgency of systemic and professional-level change. The structure mirrors a standard community health needs assessment format, appropriate for undergraduate nursing coursework.
Introduction
The War on Terror led to an extended conflict in the Middle East that began with a U.S. intervention in Afghanistan, spread to Iraq, and has steadily engulfed other states as well. Returning veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has significantly impacted both their work and family lives (Vogt et al., 2017). An estimated 1.3 million veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq interventions are at risk for suicide (Kang et al., 2015). Hundreds of thousands of this same population struggle with identity adjustment as they return to civilian life and attempt to transition from military norms to civilian living (Orazem et al., 2017). This paper discusses this specific population, its needs, the policies and laws that affect it, barriers to resource utilization, and how the nursing profession can promote change to improve healthcare outcomes for these veterans.
References
American Public Health Association. (2014). Removing barriers to mental health. Retrieved from https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2015/01/28/14/51/removing-barriers-to-mental-health-services-for-veterans
Department of Veterans Affairs. (2015). Mental health effects. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/reintegration/overview-mental-health-effects.asp
Department of Veterans Affairs. (2016). How common is PTSD? Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/ptsd-overview/reintegration/overview-mental-health-effects.asp
Giordano, A., Prosek, E., Stamman, J., et al. (2016). Addressing trauma in substance abuse treatment. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Addiction, 60(2), 55–71.
Hines, L. A., Sundin, J., Rona, R. J., Wessely, S., & Fear, N. T. (2014). Posttraumatic stress disorder post Iraq and Afghanistan: Prevalence among military subgroups. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 59(9), 468–479.
Kang, H. K., Bullman, T. A., Smolenski, D. J., Skopp, N. A., Gahm, G. A., & Reger, M. A. (2015). Suicide risk among 1.3 million veterans who were on active duty during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Annals of Epidemiology, 25(2), 96–100.
Mason, B. & Suresh, S. (2017). Effectiveness of an interprofessional team approach at reducing CLABSI in a community hospital. American Journal of Infection Control, 45(6), S100.
Orazem, R. J., Frazier, P. A., Schnurr, P. P., Oleson, H. E., Carlson, K. F., Litz, B. T., & Sayer, N. A. (2017). Identity adjustment among Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans with reintegration difficulty. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(S1), 4.
RAND Corporation. (2017). Changing landscape for veterans' mental health. Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9981z2.html
Vogt, D., Smith, B. N., Fox, A. B., Amoroso, T., Taverna, E., & Schnurr, P. P. (2017). Consequences of PTSD for the work and family quality of life of female and male U.S. Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(3), 341–352.
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