Exploring for Military Depressive PatientS

• Main Authors: YA-CHEN LAO, 勞雅禎
• Other Authors: Wen-Chii Tzeng
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/41935300251639750547

碩士 === 國防醫學院 === 護理研究所 === 99 === To care of the depressive conscript soldiers is a challenge to registered nurses. In Taiwan, a male citizen who is around 18- 25 years old is obligated to serve in the military. Previous studies focused on the exploration of how well these conscript soldiers adjust in the military training, but none discussed how to care those military soldiers who suffer from depression. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to understand the dilemma of clinical care between the registered nurses and hospitalized depressive conscript soldiers. Both focus group interviews and individual interviews were used in this study. Eleven registered nurses and fifteen depressive male conscript soldiers consented to participate in this study. Data collection was conducted between November 2009 and March 2010. The data was analyzed using the process of analytic induction. “A stigmatized man” was found to represent how depressive soldiers felt when they were hospitalized on psychiatric wards because of the following negative impressions. (1)These young men had ability to care themselves and their symptoms were not related to depression in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (2) These young men were diagnosed with depressive disorders, but they were afraid of stigma. (3)Their failure to complete military services were disdained by their families and friends. The above results implicated that these young soldiers were stigmatized because of their diagnosis with depression and their failure to complete military services. Such double stigma revealed that these depressive conscripts could not conform to gender expectations of masculine. Therefore their stigmatized themselves because of the feeling of shame. This study also implicated that psychiatric nurses need to understand these stigmatized soldiers’ suffer. In addition, health professionals need to provide culturally appropriate care to these depressive conscript soldiers.