Family-involved mental healthcare among OEF/OIF veterans with and without PTSD using VHA administrative records

Harper, K. L., Thompson-Hollands, J., Keane, T. M., & Marx, B. P. (2022). Family-involved mental health care among OEF/OIF with and without PTSD using VHA administrative records. Behavior Therapy, 53(5), 819-827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2022.01.006

Using 4 waves of data from 1,329 Army and Marine Corps Veterans between 2008–2012, this study examined the extent to which Veterans included family members in their mental health therapy visits. Investigated predictors of family-involved therapy visits included romantic relationship functioning (e.g., emotional support for partner), mental health symptoms (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD] diagnosis and severity, depressive symptoms, suicide risk), and demographics (e.g., race, marital status). These predictors were assessed via self-report questionnaires or diagnostic interviews at Time 1 (T1). In general, over the 4 years, less than one percent (0.9%) of these Veterans attended therapy visits with family members. Furthermore, Veterans with poorer romantic relationship functioning and higher PTSD severity at T1 were more likely to attend therapy that included family members over the next 4 years.

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