Vietnam Wives: Facing the Challenges of Life With Veterans Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress [Paperback]

Aphrodite Matsakis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 1996

As the children of Vietnam veterans reach the age at which their fathers went overseas, veterans and their families, especially their wives, face new stressors in mid-life. Even twenty-five years after the end of the war, in many families life is still neither easy nor reliable, and the rules continue to change. The recent anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam has focused attention on the long-term effects of the combat experience. In Vietnam Wives: Facing the Challenges of Life with Veterans Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress, Aphrodite Matsakis revisits the plight of the secondary victims of the war: the wives and children of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The book explores the many changes encountered by traumatized veterans and their families as they face the difficult developmental stage of mid-life: retirement, the "empty nest syndrome," becoming grandparents, and, in many cases, separation and divorce. Matsakis deftly leads readers through the process of finding better ways to cope with new challenges and old. She explains post-traumatic stress disorder, its causes, symptoms, and the devastating long-term effects, including domestic violence, substance abuse, and suicidal feelings. To illustrate both problems and solutions, Dr. Matsakis extensively uses interviews with wives of Vietnam veterans who have lived through a variety of experiences. Intended primarily for wives of veterans, but of great interest to their extended families and close friends as well, this book provides compassion and support while pointing the way to recovery from post-traumatic stress.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There is a second edition of Vietnam Wives because the first edition struck a resonant chord among those who care most about the lessons it provides -- the hundreds of thousands of wives who care deeply about their warrior husbands. They know about living with someone with a disability (PTSD) that, like a disease, destroys people and their relationships with others. Dr. Matsakis states on page 2: "To all of you Vietnam wives who think that your suffering is unique, I wish to assure you. You are not alone." And we are all the better for it. --Charles Figley, Ph.D., Psychosocial Stress Research Program, Florida State University

From the Publisher

This book is published by the Sidran Foundation, a national nonprofit organization devoted to advocacy, education, and research in support of people with traumatic stress conditions. To learn more about the Sidran Foundation and our work, please visit our website at http://www.sidran.org. TABLE OF CONTENTS: What Is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder? Living with the Ice Man PTSD and Sex The Reality of Multiple Roles Alcohol and Drug Addiction Anger Battered Wives "But Military Wives Never..." Wives of African-American, Native American, and Hispanic Vietnam Veterans PTSD and Children Suicide and the Vietnam Veteran Family "I Believe In Love"-The Hope of Therapy Stay or Go Coping Techniques for the Vietnam Wife, Resource Guide and Reading List

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Sidran Press; 2nd edition (May 2, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886968004
• ISBN-13: 978-1886968004
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hooray! VIETNAM WIVES is back in print in a new edition!, December 11, 1998

By 

Jonathan Shay - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vietnam Wives: Facing the Challenges of Life With Veterans Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress (Paperback)

I am officially an "expert" in combat PTSD with all sorts of fancy letters after my name, and I can say that Aphrodite Matsakis's VIETNAM WIVES and Patience Mason's RECOVERING FROM THE WAR [also available from Amazon.com] do more good than a planeload of folks like me. Nobody should have to go through it alone--not the veteran, not his or her spouse, not their children, parents, friends, employers, therapists. Healing (and protection against secondary traumatic stress) happens only in community--at least that's what I conclude from 11 years working with veterans. Both of these books are useful to not only their main audience, the veteran's spouse, but to veterans themselves and anyone else who wants to make their hearts wiser and their understanding deeper. I recommend these books frequently, and for years they were hard to find.

Identifying information on reviewer:

Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D. is a psychiatrist whose only patients are Vietnam combat veterans in the Boston VA Outpatient Clinic. He is author of _Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character_ (available from Amazon.com)

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-have for spouses or lovers of vets-this is the one!, May 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Vietnam Wives: Facing the Challenges of Life With Veterans Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress (Paperback)

This has been the most helpful tool guiding me in forming a close relationship with an friend of many years. The information here is essential. The author tells you what you must know it in order to understand your loved one and cope with stress-related behaviors. There are many helpful suggestions and resources listed. Author is an expert in Viet vets and PTSD. As a nurse with 20 yrs experience and a strong background in psychology, who has had a number of vet friends & coworkers, I knew a little about Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Yet this book has really made a difference - I couldn't have managed without it. If you are in a relationship with a vet or even contemplating one, get this!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny, March 20, 2006

By 

A. Beck "Bingocat" (NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vietnam Wives: Facing the Challenges of Life With Veterans Suffering Post-Traumatic Stress (Paperback)

This book is not just for Vietnam wives, but the veteran, his family and anyone who wants to be informed about PTSD. It examines how the disorder is developed and how it affects the victim and everyone around him/her. The goal is to gain insight about how PTSD can be recognized, treated and ultimately lived with in a manageable state. It is clearly written and can be understood by non-professional people.