Abstract
With the United State of America deeply engaged in War on Terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom; many troops are returning home with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. According to the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD) (n.d.), PTSD has a high prevalence rate in these war veterans. NCPTSD reported that PTSD occurs in 30% of Vietnam veterans, 10% of Gulf War veterans, 6% to 11% in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) veterans and 12%-20% in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) veterans. Research has demonstrated that participation in regular exercise may decrease depression and anxiety (Johnsgard, 2004), increase self-esteem and self-perception (Schomer & Drake, 2001), enhance physical and mental health (Dixon, Mauzey, & Hall, 2003), and promote social participation (Saxena, Van Ommeren, Tang, & Armstrong, 2005). According to Paluska and Schwenk (2000), physical exercise improves anxiety symptoms and panic disorder with effects similar to those of meditation and relaxation techniques. Despite such benefits, there is a reluctance to exercise in individuals as adherence to and participation in exercise programs seems to be a problem. McAuley (1991) stated that of those who begin an exercise program, 50% discontinue it within the first six months and only 21% continue to exercise at a level where health benefits can be gained. A self-efficacy based physical exercise program may address the symptoms of anxiety in war veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) better than a typical exercise program. Thus, this project is developed based on the self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1986) and studies that incorporated self-efficacy into structured exercise programs. The project proposes a 16-week self-efficacy based structured exercise program that focuses on improving veteran participation and adherence by increasing his or her self-efficacy.