Charlene has an amazing range of resources on PTSD available on her blog, and I noticed some very interesting information on domestic violence and PTSD. One of her posts, dated April 7, 2010, covers an article that explored a study on the effects of war on men and how combat veterans are "more than four times as likely as other men to engage in domestic violence." This is a stunning statistic, but I'm really not all that surprised, based on what I've read about combat veterans and the challenges they face when they return to society.
Although my ex-husband has never experienced combat, he has served in the Marines and has been in the Army Reserves for nearly 17 years. I wonder if there have been studies on domestic violence and members of the military who have not actually spent time in combat. I'd be curious to know if those men would also have a higher likelihood to commit acts of domestic violence as compared to men who are not in the military. There may be something about the military environment itself that would contribute to domestic abuse.
I've always been proud to be the daughter of a Vietnam Veteran. However, now I definitely have a bad taste in my mouth when it comes to the military simply because of my ex-husband. Shortly after I filed the Order of Protection against him, I was so relieved to pack up all of his Army uniforms, boots, hats, etc., and get that stuff out of my closet and out of my house and into a storage facility. It all represented nothing but violence to me. Because he wore it. Nothing to be proud of there.
It's true that military members and families have a great number of challenges to deal with, from PTSD to other mental health issues. Charlene Rubush's blog is absolutely worth checking out.
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