Abstract
The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the subjective experiences of five wives of combat war veterans diagnosed with PTSD attending college. The setting was a state university in Northern California. The wives were recruited from the on-campus Veteran’s office and a sociology class being offered to veterans and dependents. A collection of demographic information was gathered and a face-to-face open-ended question interview was conducted in order to explore the challenges the wives’ experienced. The participants were asked to complete a checklist of stress-related symptoms that they themselves had experienced. All five participants reported having 10 to 12 of a possible 15 symptoms and all five participants experienced the following eight symptoms: anxiety, sadness, low self-esteem, emotional exhaustion, trouble making decisions, difficulty concentrating, changes in sleep habits, and withdrawing from others. The themes found in the interviews related to: (a) future financial stability, (b) availability of Chapter 35, (c) strength and empowerment from going to school, (d) challenges as a caregiver on school performance, (e) isolation, (f) feelings of anxiety and being overwhelmed, (g) need to modify use of time and behavior to do school work, (h) supports needed to overcome and meet challenges, and (i) on-campus supports. The conclusion of this study contains recommendations for practice, which include the need for on-campus supports and how the implementation of interventions may focus on reducing the educational challenges that the wives of veterans with PTSD encounter. In addition, future research could examine how managing all aspects of the personal needs of a veteran with disabilities along with all other responsibilities and pressures may impact a wife’s educational challenges.