Military Culture Implications for Mental Health
Military Culture Implications for Mental Health
Proper diagnosis and the delivery of quality care does not change because a patient or family has military culture related experiences, injuries, or health problems. What does change is the context that those who have lived and worked within the military culture may bring to the healthcare experience and the therapeutic relationship. It is important that nurses be able to recognize the influence of military culture, given the potential strengths and vulnerabilities that the military ethos can interject in expression of symptoms, help-seeking behaviors, or the willingness to stay engaged in treatment.
The language of psychological health and mental disorders has been shifting within the military services since 2007 (USMC & USN, 2010; Meredith, et al., 2011). To assess and understand potential mental health issues for patients influenced by military culture, it is important to be knowledgeable about the concept of stress injury. Identifying the presence of one or more sources of stress injury, and knowledge about which source of stress injury is dominant in the patient current life experience, has potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and facilitate true patient-centered care versus diagnosis-centered services.
Conclusion
Proper diagnosis and the delivery of quality care does not change because a patient or family has military culture related experiences, injuries, or health problems. What does change is the context that those who have lived and worked within the military culture may bring to the healthcare experience and the therapeutic relationship. It is important that nurses be able to recognize the influence of military culture, given the potential strengths and vulnerabilities that the military ethos can interject in expression of symptoms, help-seeking behaviors, or the willingness to stay engaged in treatment.
The language of psychological health and mental disorders has been shifting within the military services since 2007 (USMC & USN, 2010; Meredith, et al., 2011). To assess and understand potential mental health issues for patients influenced by military culture, it is important to be knowledgeable about the concept of stress injury. Identifying the presence of one or more sources of stress injury, and knowledge about which source of stress injury is dominant in the patient current life experience, has potential to improve diagnostic accuracy and facilitate true patient-centered care versus diagnosis-centered services.
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