Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental condition caused by a tragic event, a chain of incidents, or a combination of factors, which culminate into emotional and physical instability. Every person, of any race, nation, or culture, and at any age, can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Annually, 3.5% of adult Americans suffer from the condition. For teenagers aged between 13 and 18 years, the lifelong prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder is 8% (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). Around 1 in eleven persons may receive a diagnosis over their lifespan. Posttraumatic stress disorder is twice as common in Latino, Native American, and Black women as it is in males.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs reveals that post-traumatic stress disorder was incorporated under the novel category of the DSM-5, and it is diagnosed under eight criteria. Criterion A determined trauma based on exposure to a serious threat, including death and sexual violence (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2023). In such cases, a person witnesses direct exposure, learns of a traumatic incident on a relative, or indirectly experiences a gruesome and life-threatening event. In category B, one re-experiences a traumatic occurrence, which includes sleep paralysis, negative memories, hysteria, and flashbacks. In criterion C, diagnosis is based on trauma-associated reminders and feelings. Criterion D advances to exaggerated blame, negative thoughts, feelings of isolation, and the inability to experience positivity (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2023). The situation worsens in criterion E, which is characterized by hypervigilance, concentration challenges, irritability, and sleeping problems. When symptoms last beyond a month, it reaches criterion F before it advances to the subsequent stage that happens when distress or impairment manifests. Criterion H is the final stage that might lead to substance abuse.
According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (2023), at least 13, 000 Americans were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2020 and the number constitutes 5% of a population that suffers annually. While this happens, sufficient information exists to help people overcome traumas, yet stigmatization manifests and deters affected individuals from receiving help. This study expresses interest in the welfare of veterans whose service to America is invaluable, although most silently battle post-traumatic stress disorder. The study identifies veterans because most lack support systems and awareness about the extent of mental health on overall well-being. The stigma of mental wellness is a reality in the U.S. military service that goes unaddressed for years. It culminates into serious problems that require immediate attention and for the issues highlighted in this introduction, we opted to study needs assessment on post-traumatic stress disorder using awareness and stigma.
Needs Assessment
Questions
The following hypothetical questions and responses were generated to advance a discussion on awareness and stigma concerning post-traumatic stress disorder:
- Do you feel judged when you talk about your traumas or past in the military? Following the issues discussed by the American Psychiatric Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the answer is likely to be ‘Yes.’ Their discussions are informed by research and analyses of existing data about stigma among veterans.
- Do you feel that public stigma and self-stigma emanate from a lack of information or awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder? The response to this question is likely to be ‘Yes’ because evidence from the introduction intimates a lack of structured approaches to handle self-stigma, public stigma, and label evasion, which means awareness creation creates a deficiency in knowledge. As a result, the stigma will likely thrive in environments where people lack awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Do you believe that relevant organizations have failed to discuss fundamental issues about post-traumatic stress disorder and this has contributed to the stigmatization of U.S. veterans? The response to this question will likely be ‘Yes’ because the target population, which largely consists of older adults does not draw many benefits of protection against stigmatization from the organizations mentioned in the introduction.
Program Objectives
- To increase awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder by agitating the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to lead such campaigns
- To create psychosocial support institutions that voluntarily locate and serve U.S. Veterans through counseling, physical therapy, and holistic wellness programs aimed at reducing self-stigma
Program Description
This program aims at reducing stigma for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. To achieve its objectives, it will establish voluntary organizations under the U.S. Veterans Affairs to offer awareness creation programs about the importance of therapy in trauma management, as Karras et al (2022) recommend. The community-based organizations will be widespread to ensure veterans from different parts of the country can access a nearby facility. Such institutions will also offer outreach programs and sometimes engage in door-to-door missions to identify veterans. In the process, they will use social media platforms and physical visitations to create awareness about mental health while specifically addressing post-traumatic stress disorder.
The program will target ex-U.S. military personnel to make them aware of their right to mental healthcare services. We will visit some of them at home or nursing institutions and inquire about their condition. Our team will support veterans by using their experiences to design individualized treatment plans. For instance, those that are alcoholics due to post-traumatic stress disorder will be referred to Alcoholics Anonymous programs. Depressed individuals will receive psychiatric help. Others struggling with financial security will receive knowledge on economic empowerment as some will be offered opportunities to work. Since volunteers will offer such services, our team will only work with consenting veterans.
The program will ensure that veterans understand that they can talk about their military experiences without feeling judged or discriminated against. Through the American Psychiatric Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, veterans will access sufficient information about counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy among other intervention plans to help them overcome their traumatic pasts, as American Psychiatric Association (2022) recommends. The initiative will also ascertain that community members are cognisant of the struggles ex-military officers face. Social media campaigns and physical outreach programs will increase awareness about mental health issues to ensure communities support veterans. Popular participation by the community, veteran advocacy institutions, and the military will create a steadfast movement that would make it easy for veterans to handle self-stigma and public stigma.
Program Evaluation Plan
The program will be based on the needs assessment method, which evaluates the performance of an initiative concerning set objectives (World Health Organization, 2019). In this context, the objective will be to increase awareness about posttraumatic stress disorder and provide psychosocial support for veterans. Collectively, the initiatives will reduce stigma by informing the public about posttraumatic stress disorder and empowering veterans to engage in health-seeking behaviors.
Target audiences include veterans and their immediate communities. Veterans will become knowledgeable of their worth and achievements. As a result, they will not fear asking for psychosocial support when suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. They will enroll in AA programs, religious counseling initiatives, community outreach programs, and individualized psychiatric appointments to establish the source of their posttraumatic stress disorder. Once the struggle with disclosure ends, they will pursue available treatment options without feeling judged. Targeted members of the community will be educated about posttraumatic stress disorder and encouraged to participate in outreach programs, podcast discussions, and other social networking activities while remaining respectful.
The objectives-oriented evaluation will be conducted quarterly. After every three months, we will investigate how the veteran population is coping. We will assess data from the administrators of the community outreach programs to determine the number of veterans enrolled for psychosocial support over an extended period of three months. Our team will compile and compare performance for an entire year before determining the next direction the project will take. If more veterans enroll in the programs, the likelihood is that they will know how to manage stigma and feelings of judgment easily in the future. However, positive feedback will warrant a change in strategy from our side.
For the community, we will track their social media presence and contributions towards posttraumatic stress disorder wellness programs. If most develop a positive attitude and are aware and willing to help veterans, this will be a positive sign. Another possibility is that some will remain judgmental and critical of the program. Besides blocking their content from social media, we will conduct community campaigns to meet people physically and understand why they hold strong negative opinions about the behaviors of veterans suffering from post-traumatic disorder. In a year, we will try to establish the source of stigma and lack of awareness from the victim and perpetrator. Until we realize positive change, the team would relentlessly mental health justice for veterans.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd
Karras, E., Stokes, C. M., Warfield, S. C., & Bossarte, R. M. (2022). Designing mental health promotion campaigns: segmenting US Veteran audiences to address public stigma. Journal of Mental Health, 1-7.
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2023). PTSD: National Center for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp#:~:text=About%205%20out%20of%20every,some%20point%20in%20their%20life.
World Health Organization. (2019). Intervention guidebook for implementing and monitoring activities to reduce missed opportunities for vaccination.
