Airmen need to understand root cause of domestic violence

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Brooke Brzozowske
  • 90th Missile Wing Public Affairs
F.E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. --  You can't diagnose, but you can alert. When people think about domestic abusers, they may think about a terrible monster.

But the truth is that certain stressors can cause it to happen to just about anyone, said Megan Archer, family advocacy nurse.

There is a difference between the effects of stress related risk factors on individuals versus the stereotypical alpha male that exercises power and control on innocent victims, she continued.

The military has a tremendous amount of training, education and resources, said Glen Garcia, 90th Medical Group Outreach Program manager.

"We also have a military life consultant," he added. "It's perfect for Airmen on PRP [who] are worried about the consequences of getting help."

"Not all programs are PRP [Personnel Reliability Program] red flags," Mr. Garcia explained. The chaplain also offers services but more on a spiritual level.

"Our programs are more focused on behavior changes," he added.

"The programs we offer help the families to reconnect with the Air Force community," Mr. Garcia said. The Warren Mental Health Clinic provides all necessary mental health services for the active duty military population on base.

Deployers also have to in-process back through mental health upon return from their deployments, Mrs. Archer said. The Family Advocacy Program staff asks the deployers to be extra honest on these post-deployment surveys.

Education and prevention training in the community, having early alerts and notification equal success, Mr. Garcia said.

Actually about 10 percent of reported cases are actually confirmed domestic abuse cases, the other 80 percent are people just looking for help, Mr. Garcia said.

The majority of people just need someone to talk to, he said.

For more information about the programs, call 773-6278.