Failure to Engage: Exploring Treatment Initiation Delays for Combat-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among the Canadian Armed Forces

Abstract

Despite the availability of mental health resources available to members and veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), there are significant concerns regarding post-deployment mental health, including failure to initiate treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a timely manner. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the factors contributing to delays in treatment initiation for combat-related PTSD by examining CAF veterans’ experiences with accessing post-deployment mental health services. The research question that underpinned the study is what are Canadian Armed Forces veterans’ experiences with accessing post-deployment mental health services? The four sub-questions that guided this case study are: (1) How do CAF veterans describe the process of seeking post-deployment mental health services? (2) What factors contribute to seeking post-deployment mental health services? (3) What influences delays in treatment initiation? (4) How are CAF veterans impacted by delays in treatment initiation? Seven participants were recruited and participated in this study. All participants were veterans of the Canadian Army, had been deployed at least once, received a formal diagnosis of PTSD following their deployment, and had experiences accessing mental health services. The qualitative data, including both published government documents and interview transcripts, were analyzed during a 3-phase analysis process. Analysis highlighted that factors contributing to treatment initiation delays occur at the intrapersonal, community, and systemic levels, with impacts greatly affecting veterans across various realms of well-being, including the physical, mental, social, and spiritual realms. Findings are described using examples from the data and discussed in relation to the literature. Overall, this study provides knowledge to support the developing literature about the lived experiences of military veterans, and offers a comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute to treatment initiation delays for combat-related PTSD.