Parenting experiences of military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder

Section A: This section describes a systematic review of the literature exploring the impact of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) on parenting amongst ex-military service parents. A search of four databases identified 14 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The literature was synthesised and described within the following areas of parenting; caregiving, satisfaction, competence, stress, mentalising, and the parent-child relationship, with individual and contextual factors reported within these. Methodological critiques, as well as clinical and research implications are discussed.

Section B: This section presents an empirical paper exploring the experience of parenting in ex-military fathers who have received a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The analysis resulted in four themes and 10 subthemes relating to the perceived impact of PTSD symptoms on parenting and perception of the self as a parent, a need to protect children from distress and harm, the importance of developing insights and understanding, and the protective influence of children on well-being. Findings are discussed in relation to the extant literature, and clinical and research implications are outlined.