Self-reorganization in transition from military to civilian life: Maria’s way
Qualitative research has demonstrated that transition from military to civilian life involves narrative identity reconstruction among service members. The reformulation of narrative identities may prove to become an existential quest for service members since the questions of who I am, where I am going, and what is my place in the world need to be (re)answered by the self in a new cultural context. Thus, a reorganization of stories also corresponds to a reorganization of I-positions in the self. This article presents the case study of Lieutenant Maria, one participant derived from a larger longitudinal research project designed to explore this process of transition, and aims to demonstrate new ways of understanding self-identity work in transition through a Dialogical Self Theory approach. The analysis of the case study suggests that self-reorganization was necessary for adaptation to a civilian cultural context that shaped alternate identities. Four types of factors were observed to have major influence upon the self-identity evolution: contextual promoters, a dialogical self-attitude, meta-cognitive activities, and a group of cooperative positions in the self which could evolve in a new context and through emerging identities.
Abstract: Objective: The present study is a retrospective quasi-experimental study to evaluate the effectiveness of the Warrior PATHH (WP) program at improving posttraumatic growth (PTG) outcomes and reducing PTSD symptoms compared to a waitlist control among a sample of Veterans. Method: Participants (n = 164) were U.S. military Veterans with a history of trauma. Participants were either undergoing the Warrior PATHH program or a waitlist. Primary outcome measures were administered at baseline and at 90-day follow-up and consisted of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory – Expanded (PTGI-X) and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Secondary outcome measures assessed psychosocial functioning and included measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, sleep, wellbeing, and social support. Results: Significant differences were observed between groups on the PTGI-X (F(1, 205) = 23.667, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.103), and the PCL-5 (F(1, 205) = 262.460, p < .001, partial η2 = 0.561) with the WP group showing significant positive psychological change following a traumatic event as measured by the PTGI-X and decreased PTSD symptoms as measured by the PCL-5 compared to those in the waitlist condition. Those in the treatment arm also demonstrated gains to psychosocial functioning. Conclusions: Consistent with previous research, participants in the Warrior PATHH program exhibited significant increases in PTG outcomes, decreased PTSD symptoms, and broad improvements to psychosocial functioning. These findings suggest it is an effective training program to foster PTG outcomes among Veterans. This study is unique as it is the first to compare the effects of WP programming with a sample of waitlisted Veterans.