Conducting Qualitative Research on Stigmatizing Conditions With Military Populations

ABSTRACT

This article addresses the conduct of qualitative research regarding sensitive or stigmatizing topics with military populations, and provides suggestions for implementing culturally responsive and effective data collection with these groups. Given high rates of underreporting of sensitive and stigmatizing conditions in the military, qualitative methods have potential to shed light on phenomena that are not well understood. Drawing on a study of U.S. Army National Guard personnel by civilian anthropologists, we present lessons learned and argue that the value of similar studies can be maximized by culturally responsive research design.

KEYWORDS:

• Alcoholism
• stress
• psychological
• posttraumatic stress
• National Guard
• military
• qualitative methods

Notes

¹ A number of attributes distinguish the National Guard from active-duty branches of the U.S. military. The Army National Guard is one of seven reserve components (U.S. Congress, 2005); along with the Air National Guard, it has additional responsibilities for emergency and security services for each state within which it operates (Kapp & Torreon, 2014). Many National Guard members balance civilian duties with military roles. They receive less extensive military training and are less immersed in military culture (La Bash, Vogt, King, & King, 2009); they have higher rates of mortality (Goldberg, 2010) than full-time soldiers, and they are more likely to be diagnosed with PTSD following deployment (Milliken, Auchterlonie, & Hoge, 2007). As “citizen-soldiers,” National Guard personnel may experience greater independence from military institutions, oversight, and culture than members of other military branches; however, Vest (2013) has suggested that National Guard members with combat experience are more fully socialized into military culture and institutions.