Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal of Military, Veteran, and Family Health
Volume Number
9
Issue Number
4
First Page
77
Last Page
87
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2022-0067
Version
Publisher PDF: the final published version of the article, with professional formatting and typesetting
Disciplines
Nursing
Abstract
Introduction: Perinatal mental health disorders (PMHDs) are a common complication of child-bearing, affecting approximately 1 in 7 U.S. mothers. An expanding literature has examined how PMHDs afect military families; however, little is known about military spouses’ experiences in accessing and engaging in treatment for PMHDs. Te purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a better understanding of the barriers to and facilitators of accessing, engaging, and progressing in treatment and recovery among a sample of U.S. military spouses with PMHDs. Methods: Military spouses (N = 12) were recruited from a maternal mental health clinic at an academic medical centre in San Diego, California, United States. Five semi-structured focus groups were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by research team members until consensus on themes was reached. Results: Eight themes emerged: fve main barriers (stigma, impacts on service member’s career, lack of support, accessibility, practical and logistical concerns) and three main facilitators (solid support structure, encouragement to seek help, practical and logistical facilitators). Discussion: Findings enhance and complement extant research examining barriers to mental health care treatment and recovery among military spouses and suggest barriers to and facilitators of PMHDs. Fear of harming the serving spouse’s career can be mitigated through supportive military leadership advocating for serving spouses to support their partners’ recovery. Education for military leaders in foundational knowledge of PMHDs, including screening, treatment, stigmas, and impact on families, is needed to create supportive and encouraging environments leading to open dialogue and nonpunitive solutions that facilitate military spouses’ recovery from PMHDs.
Digital USD Citation
Nguyen, My Hanh (Theresa); Semino-Asaro, Semira; Reminick, Alison M.; Rukaj, Amber T.; and Connelly, Cynthia D., "Barriers to and Facilitators of Military Spouses’ Recovery from Perinatal Mental Health Disorders: A Qualitative Study" (2023). School of Nursing and Health Science: Faculty Scholarship. 36.
https://digital.sandiego.edu/nursing_facpub/36