ANXIETY BUFFER DISRUPTION THEORY: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY OF COMBAT VETERANS

Abstract

Studies continue to show U.S. military veterans are committing suicide at an alarming rate. The Department of Veterans Affairs is a reactionary force which provides counseling and mental health assistance after the service member returns from conflict. By then, some veterans have experienced a disruption in their personal cultural worldview of family, country, religion, and self-esteem which are the staples for Anxiety Buffer Disruption Theory (ABDT). The need for this study is to illustrate how Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the Anxiety Buffer Disruption explain the effects of trauma on lives. The primary data collection tool in this study was a semi-structured interview with observation and document review. This study analyzed five U.S. Army veterans who served in leadership roles with combat arms job skills during deployments to Iraq. Each soldier has been diagnosed with PTSD. The reflections focus on the veteran‘s belief system and the personal cultural worldview before and after deployments.