The Invisible Wounds of War: An Ethnographic Investigation of Yup'ik combat veterans' problematic reintegrations into communities in southwestern Alaska

这项研究旨在了解来自阿拉斯加西南部育空-Kuskokwim三角洲村庄的Yup'ik退伍军人如何面临获得服务的重大问题，并伴随着战斗压力重新融入社区，这只是部分可见的。 该项目是一项民族志调查，有三个主要目标：第一，掌握战争对那些在美国军队中服役的Yup'ik社区成员的生活造成的人类和社会后果。该研究探讨了Yup'ik士兵重新融入他们的社区从三个时代的多方面;越南战争，第一次海湾战争，以及在伊拉克和阿富汗正在进行的冲突。其次，本研究探讨了士兵个人及其家人如何理解、赋予意义，以及科普战后日常生活中部分可见的战争创伤。因此，调查员将探讨外部力量和内部破坏性压力对人们日常生活和生计的积极和消极影响，以及如何理解这些过程。第三，了解在什么情况下土著退伍军人可能会或可能不会选择寻求帮助，他们的战斗创伤;何时和为什么他们选择“单干”或积极参与医疗护理。在这一计划的人种学研究的背景下，调查员将探讨在何种程度上和在何种条件下，亲属关系，社区和文化可以有助于愈合和促进成功重返这些结果是由退伍军人，他们的家庭和他们的community.The中心的关注，这一拟议的研究是获得一个长期的历史观点，人们如何管理心理和社会创伤。因此，这项研究的重点是士兵如何科普从战斗中回家-从越南到现在-并将他们的经历置于社会环境中，就像从澳大利亚到北极圈的许多土著社区一样，与自杀，人际暴力和药物滥用的毁灭性比率作斗争。这项研究的必要性是显而易见的。 在没有大量VA干预研究人员的角度来看，什么是至关重要的是调查的家庭和社区面临的各种问题，因为他们试图帮助退伍军人重返社会的过程中，重要的是，这项研究将有助于了解的各种问题的土著退伍军人面临的亲属和家庭的影响，以及由社区利用的全套应对策略。该项目产生的数据将帮助社区居民和领导人以及负责协助他们的社会服务组织更好地了解社会需求，这些需求对于帮助退伍军人，亲属和社区科普这一额外的社会压力，损失和创伤至关重要。此外，这项研究的设计包括阿拉斯加土著居民/代表性不足的群体在研究规划和数据收集过程-包括创新的社区为基础的长老咨询委员会。虽然这项研究将产生学术文章和专著，但研究结果也将在科学会议和大会上发表。研究摘要还将提交给阿拉斯加当地土著协会，特别是育空-Kuskokwim三角洲的土著协会、乡村部落委员会、育空-Kuskokwim卫生公司、贝瑟尔和安克雷奇退伍军人管理局、阿拉斯加部落卫生联合会。根据《北极研究原则》，首席研究员将返回每个村庄，公开介绍研究结果。

This research study is to understand how Yup'ik veterans from villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta of southwestern Alaska who face significant problems of access to services reintegrate into communities with the accompanying stresses of combat, that are only partially visible. This project is an ethnographic investigation with three key objectives: First, to grasp the human and social consequences of war on the lives of those Yup'ik community members who have served in combat in the US military. The study examines the multidimensional aspects of reintegration of Yup'ik solders into their communities from three eras; the Vietnam War, the First Gulf War, and the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Secondly, the study explores how individual soldiers as well as their families make sense of, give meaning to, and cope with the partially visible wounds of war in their daily lives in the aftermath of combat. As such the investigator will explore the impact, both positively and negatively, of external forces and internal disruptive pressures on people's everyday lives and livelihoods and how these processes are understood. Thirdly, to gain an understanding under what circumstances Native veterans may or may not choose to seek help for their battle trauma; when and why do they choose to "go it alone" or to actively participate in medical care. In the context of this planned ethnographic research the investigator will explore to what extent and under what conditions kinship, community, and culture can be helpful in healing and contributing to successful reentry as these outcomes are reported by veterans, their families and their community.The central concern of this proposed research is to gain a long-term historical perspective on how people manage psychological and social trauma. As such this study focuses on how soldiers cope with coming home from combat -- from Vietnam to the present -- and places their experiences within a social milieu, one, like many aboriginal communities from Australia to the Circumpolar North struggle with devastating rates of suicide, interpersonal violence and substance abuse. The need for this research is pronounced. In the absence of substantial VA interventions in the researcher's perspective what is crucial is to investigate the kinds of issues families and communities face as they try to help in the reintegration process of veterans.Importantly, this study will contribute to an understanding of the kinds of problems Native veterans are facing, the effects on kin and families and the panoply of coping strategies that are utilized by communities. The data produced by this project will help community residents and leaders, as well as social service organizations responsible for assisting them to better understand the social needs that are crucial in helping veterans, kin and communities cope with this added layer of social stress, loss and trauma. Moreover this study by design includes Alaska Native residents/under-represented groups in the research planning and data collection process - including the innovative community-based Elders Advisory Councils. While the research will produce academic articles and a monograph, the findings will also be presented at scientific meetings and conferences. The summaries of the research will also be presented to local indigenous associations in Alaska, particularly in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, village tribal councils, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Veterans Administration in Bethel and Anchorage, The Alaskan Tribal Health Consortium. And in keeping with the Principles for the Conduct of Research in the Arctic the Principle Investigator will return to each village for public presentations of the research findings.