Invisible wounds: the social construction of veterans’ post-deployment injuries / by Kimberly Ann Lee. Publisher: Idaho State University. Department of Sociology, Social Work, and Criminal Justice, 2012. Location: Main Book Collection (2nd Floor) Call Number: Y2012 .L44 Summary: We come to view and react to any given phenomenon as a “problem” for society, because claimsmakers have been successful in “drawing our attention” to the issue. War injuries are often physical, but can be mental and emotional as well. The invisible wounds of combat veterans have been noted throughout history. However, with the facilitation of claimsmakers, (professionals, patients and advocates, legislatures, and/or the media) the interpretation of these invisible wounds has shifted from moral “weakness” to a medical condition. Social construction theorists propose that the definitions of war injuries are shaped more by the current social, cultural, and political context, than the objective reality experienced by the wounded. This thesis explores the claims made in the professional medical literature regarding post-deployment symptoms of US combat veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation fraq Freedom (OW); and how the interpretation of these claims has evolved. A search for relevant journal articles between 2004 and 2010 was conducted and sixty-seven articles from four major medical journals were analyzed using a qualitative approach. A common theme in the literature is the association of physical war wounds with other health conditions, most notably Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition, the invisible wounds of veterans such as PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and depression were increasingly medicalized. Invisible wounds are constructed through the dialogue in professicnal journals. However, we must recognize that by medicalizing the psychological reactions to the trauma of warfare, we may be creating disabled veterans.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 19:18:20 +0000