The Impact of Combat Status on Veterans' Attitudes Toward Help Seeking: The Hierarchy of Combat Elitism.
Many veterans do not seek assistance for mental health concerns despite the staggering prevalence of trauma-related symptomatology. Barriers to service provision include personal and professional stigma and inter-veteran attitudes that dictate who is more or less deserving of services. Veteran attitudes are shaped by military culture, which promotes a hyper-masculine paradigm upholding combat experience as the defining feature of the "ideal soldier." The stratification of soldiers into combat or non-combat status creates a hierarchy of combat elitism that extends far beyond active duty. This pilot study surveyed veterans (n = 24) to explore how combat experience may affect attitudes toward help seeking. Findings indicate combat and non-combat veterans are less accepting of non-combat veterans' help-seeking behavior, supporting the notion that veterans' attitudes toward help seeking are influenced by combat status. Despite limitations, the results of this study reflect a need for increased attention to the attitudes veterans have about each other and themselves.
a Department of Social Work , California State University-Northridge , Northridge , California , USA.
Wendy
W
Ashley
Jodi Constantine
JC
Brown
D001290:Attitude; D003130:Combat Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D000066505:Help-Seeking Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057545:Social Stigma; D014728:Veterans
Veterans; attitudes; combat; help seeking