navigating barriers: a grounded theory of the experiences of canadian armed forces veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder
abstract
this research project serves as an initial foray into the experiences canadian armed forces
veterans with ptsd. several problems are identified with the current sociological and social
scientific literature on military veterans, the foremost of which was a lack of canadian data. this
study was conducted using a grounded-theory approach; several interviews were conducted with
canadian armed forces veterans with ptsd living in southern ontario, in order to uncover
themes and patterns of experience. analysis of these interviews indicated that the experience of
canadian armed forces veterans with ptsd is patterned by encounters with barriers. veterans
perceive, negotiate, and navigate these barriers as they progress through the processes involved
in having ptsd. participants in this study also identified several navigational aids with regards
to these barriers, the most prominent being that of social support, especially on the part of fellow
veterans. this study provides several possible avenues of further research that are indicated by
the analysis.