Walker Melissa S, Kaimal Girija, Gonzaga Adele M L, Myers-Coffman Katherine A, DeGraba Thomas J
a National Intrepid Center of Excellence , Walter Reed National Military Medical Center , Bethesda , MD , USA.
b College of Nursing and Health Professions , Drexel University , Philadelphia , PA , USA.
Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2017 Dec;12(1):1267317. doi: 10.1080/17482631.2016.1267317.
Active-duty military service members have a significant risk of sustaining physical and psychological trauma resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within an interdisciplinary treatment approach at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, service members participated in mask making during art therapy sessions. This study presents an analysis of the mask-making experiences of service members (n = 370) with persistent symptoms from combat- and mission-related TBI, PTSD, and other concurrent mood issues. Data sources included mask images and therapist notes collected over a five-year period. The data were coded and analyzed using grounded theory methods. Findings indicated that mask making offered visual representations of the self related to individual personhood, relationships, community, and society. Imagery themes referenced the injury, relational supports/losses, identity transitions/questions, cultural metaphors, existential reflections, and conflicted sense of self. These visual insights provided an increased understanding of the experiences of service members, facilitating their recovery.
现役军人遭受身体和心理创伤，导致创伤性脑损伤（TBI）和创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的风险很大。在国家英勇卓越中心的跨学科治疗方法中，军人在艺术治疗课程中参与了面具制作。本研究对370名患有与战斗和任务相关的创伤性脑损伤、创伤后应激障碍以及其他并发情绪问题的持续性症状的军人的面具制作经历进行了分析。数据来源包括在五年期间收集的面具图像和治疗师记录。使用扎根理论方法对数据进行编码和分析。研究结果表明，面具制作提供了与个人人格、人际关系、社区和社会相关的自我视觉呈现。意象主题涉及伤害、关系支持/损失、身份转变/问题、文化隐喻、存在主义反思以及自我的冲突感。这些视觉洞察增进了对军人经历的理解，促进了他们的康复。
