As the nation prepares to commemorate Veterans Day on Tuesday, a new study suggests the challenge of returning home after military service is even harder for younger veterans.
Posttraumatic stress disorder disproportionately affects military veterans — a new Yale study shows younger vets are more than three times more likely to suffer from PTSD than their older counterparts.
During military training and service, members of the U.S. military are exposed to extreme stressors.
“They’re happening so fast that they don’t have time to actually absorb or even think about some of those experiences,” said Dr. Farzaneh Sabi, OB-GYN and associate medical director at Kaiser Permanente, in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
“Many times, once an active-duty service member transitions to the civilian sector, and either separates or retires from the military, they have time to reflect on some of their experiences,” Sabi said. “And those experiences may impact their life.”
According to the study, younger veterans, below age 50, were three times more likely to screen positive for PTSD than veterans aged 50 and above.
“For younger veterans, it may also be the impact of what they have gone through, either through the pandemic, or in this new virtual world, where there’s an increased level of social isolation, loneliness, avoidance and challenges with interpersonal connections and relationships,” Sabi said.
With fewer in-person interactions, young veterans may be at a disadvantage “in figuring out how to navigate” through some of their past experiences.
“For older adults, many times we have learned how to cope with some of these challenges and have found those connections, whereas in younger adults, they may not have the same connections and ability to cope with some of the feelings that they’re having,” Sabi said.
What to know about PTSD, and how to help
Sabi said posttraumatic stress disorder can affect different people at different times.
“It can show up immediately after a stressful or traumatic event. It can show up two or three months later, and sometimes it can show up years or decades later,” she said.
A traumatic experience can rear its head long after it happened.
“Sometimes when the actual event occurs, people deny it, repress it, don’t think about it,” Sabi said. “And then, when they are out of that stressful situation, those memories come back, the feelings come back, and then they start to experience the symptoms of PTSD.”
Recovery is very possible, Sabi said. The initial step is for a veteran to begin making connections and understand the challenges for people who have experienced trauma.
“Everyone is at a different level of where and when they want to talk about those traumatic events,” Sabi said.
Loved ones can play an important role in supporting a veteran’s recovery.
“First, just listen, create a safe space for someone to be able to share those experiences that they’ve had, and how they feel about those experiences,” Sabi said. “Without judgment, without automatically jumping into giving advice, just create a safe space for a connection to be created.”
Supportive family and friends can help veterans during their healing from PTSD.
“It’s showing up with them at appointments, offering to go with them or supporting them in getting the care that they need.”