For many decades, the effect of PTSD on veterans has been one of the key areas of discussions among activist and health circles. However, the focus has mainly focused on male veterans. The details and effects of PTSD on women have been lumped, or it does not receive the required attention. Recent studies indicate that the impact of PTSD should be categorized according to gender. Not only does PTSD have a different impact according to sex but the cause of the condition is greatly influenced by the gender of the victim. There has been a growing role of women in the military. About 11% of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan military operations were women ( Bliese, 2017). Moreover, they may undergo various issues while they were deployed. Therefore, the research paper will analyze how the family life cycles of female US war veterans are influenced by PTSD.
Stressors that Women Face in the Military
Women who join the military are often at different stages of the life cycle. The family life cycles include independence, retirement or senior years, coupling or marriage, launching adult children, parenting. Most of the women in the military are in the independence, coupling, and parenting stages. One of the stressors includes combat missions. Although women may not always be trained for combat, they may be involved in combat support, dangerous, or stressful missions. More women are seeing others or themselves getting hurt. They are also returning fire or receiving hostile fire. Besides, in urban warfare settings such as the situation experienced in Iraq was quite stressful. During the missions, some of them are stressed because some of them may never see their families or friends again ( Rosellini et al., 2017) . When they come home, some female veterans are bothered by the experiences they had during combat.
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Female war veterans may also experience Military Sexual Trauma (MST). A number of women have experienced MST when serving in the military. MST involves any sexual activity that occurs against the individual’s will such as sexual assault, sexual comments, or unwanted sexual advances. When women experience MST, they often feel depressed or many other difficulties. The level of stress is also affected by their stage of the family cycle especially if they are coupling or are married ( Lau, 2017) . It may affect their relationships with their partners. They may also feel alone. Being part of a group within the military is quite important. In some situations, they may be deployed to new groups. If they do not know the service members, they may feel depressed because it takes time to build trusting relationships and friendships. When they feel they are not supported, it may be stressing.
It may be quite difficult for women who are coupling, have elderly parents, or have young children to be deployed for long periods. However, service members are given little notice. In some situations, they may be away for over a year. Most of the women experiencing such cases feel that they are putting their lives on hold. Besides, some of them end up feeling depressed or worried that they cannot watch over their loved ones. Moreover, when there are issues at home, they may feel ‘overloaded’ ( Blow et al., 2015) On the other hand, when they return home, some women may find it challenging to return to their ‘mommy role.’ In such situations, they may end up having conflicts with their children and partners. Due to the stressors, many women returning from deployment find it challenging to move back to civilian life. Although some of them will adjust to civilian life, a number may experience PTSD.
Women in the military experience high risks for exposure to various traumatic events especially during war. Men are more likely to encounter stressful environments than women during the war, but an increasing number of women are being exposed to combat missions. Furthermore, women are at a higher risk to experience sexual assault or sexual harassment than their male counterparts. About 20% of women returning from service experience PTSD ( Peterson et al., 2011) . During the Vietnamese war, 27% of women veterans experienced PTSD. After women experience trauma during the war, some of them may become depressed start using drugs or drinking, and develop PTSD. Women in the military are almost twice more likely to develop PTSD than men because of some traumatic events. Women are highly likely than men to blame themselves for the traumatic events. Also, sexual assault is more likely to lead to PTSD than other stressors.
Effects of PTSD on Family
PTSD has a negative impact on the family life cycle of female US war veterans, especially in the coupling and parenting stages. PTSD may make the women quite difficult to live with. Living with an individual who often avoids social events, easily startled, and has nightmares may affect even the most loving and caring relationships and families. Research conducted on Vietnam veterans indicated they are more likely to experience family issues and marital problems. Their partners have higher levels of distress than partners of female war veterans who do not have PTSD. On the other hand, their children experience more behavioral issues than the families of veterans without PTSD. Furthermore, veterans with severe cases of PTSD are linked to poorly functioning families ( Meadows et al., 2017) . Women who have PTSD may face a difficult time feeling emotions. On the other hand, they may end up being detached, and it may affect personal relationships leading to behavioral problems in their children. Moreover, it may cause lower satisfaction parenting.
The family may feel sympathy because of the loved one's sufferings. However, they should be careful that they do not treat her like an individual who is permanently disabled. In other situations, the family may develop negative feelings. PTSD may make her appear like a bad or different person. It is essential for the family to educate themselves about PTSD. The family may also experience avoidance. They may avoid doing activities together because of the fear of their reactions. Also, they may feel depressed, angry, and guilty ( Kelly et al., 2011) . They may feel angry and guilty that they cannot make a difference in the lives of their loved one with PTSD because they fear that things will not be ‘normal’ ever again. Women with PTSD may have some health issues such as not exercising, drinking, and smoking.
Treatment
The objective of treatment is to allow the female war veteran to return to civilian life and have a healthy or normal social life. When she returns from military service, especially when they have PTSD, it may have a negative impact on their family life and relationship. The other partner may be forced to deal with anger, perform the lion's share of household chores, experience frustration when she does not open up, or many other disturbing behaviors. The family should ensure that they do not take the PTSD symptoms personally ( Fredmanet al., 2017) . She may be closed off, distant, angry or irritable but it may have nothing to do with how they feel about their partners and children. However, the family should not press the war veterans into talking, but they should be understanding and patient. Furthermore, the family should prepare and anticipate for PTSD triggers such as certain smells, sounds, and sights.
There are various ways of treating PTSD. However, the research will propose a combination of various techniques. The first step should involve exercise to burn off adrenaline that will assist in releasing endorphins that may improve their mood. The war veterans should exercise for about 30 minutes daily or engage in rhythmic exercises such as dancing, running, basketball, and swimming. The second step involves self-regulating the nervous system. PTSD may leave the female war veterans feeling helpless and vulnerable ( Haskell et al., 2010) . An individual has more control over their nervous system than they can imagine. Controlling the nervous system is beneficial especially when they feel out of control, agitated, or anxious. Mindful breathing can help them calm themselves down in most situations. It may require sixty deep breaths. The other issue is discovering the sensory inputs. Similar to PTSD triggers, some sensory inputs such as a memory of good times or pictures of the family may help in calming them down.
The next step involves connecting with others. Connecting may not always involve talking; it may involve talking to a person who will only listen without judging. That person may be a civilian friend, the significant other, a buddy, or a family member. Moreover, it may include volunteering or reaching out to people in need in the society. The veteran may also join a PTSD support group ( DeVoe et al., 2018) . The forth step involves taking care of their bodies. They should find adequate time to relax through various techniques such as yoga, massage, and meditation. It may be tempting to take alcohol and drugs to numb memories and feeling, but substance abuse only worsens the situation. Also, they should support their bodies with a healthy diet and plenty of sleep. Sleep deprivation may cause moodiness, anger, and irritability.
The fifth step involves knowing how to deal with survivor’s guilt, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and nightmares. Flashbacks often involve auditory and visual memories of combat. It may feel that the experiences of combat are recurring and it is important to reassure them that the experience is not occurring in the present. Nevertheless, one of the most important steps is seeking professional treatment. It may involve counseling or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT often involves exposing the war veteran to the negative events and replacing the painful and distorted thoughts with more balanced and positive thoughts ( Vogt et al., 2017) . In addition, it may include medication such as antidepressants. Although medication may help them feel less worried or sad, the technique does not treat the causes of the condition.
Conclusion
The research paper analyzes how the family life cycles of female US war veterans are impacted by PTSD. About 11% of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan military operations were women. Most of the women in the service are in the independence, coupling, and parenting stages. Women in the military experience high risks for exposure to various traumatic events especially during war. About 20% of women returning from service experience PTSD. PTSD has a negative impact on the family life cycle of female US war veterans, especially in the coupling and parenting stages. Living with an individual who often avoids social events, easily startled, and has nightmares may affect even the most loving and caring relationships and families. Research conducted on Vietnam veterans indicated they are more likely to experience family issues and marital problems. Family members may feel discouraged, hurt, or alienated when their loved ones are unable to overcome the traumatic experiences of war ( Mattocks et al., 2012) . PTSD may make her appear like a bad or different person. It is essential for the family to educate themselves about PTSD. Social support is important in preventing and treating PTSD especially among women returning home from service.
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