Lynette Averill

<< Back to 2008 American Scholars

Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar

Media profile

Australia sent approximately 50,000 soldiers to Vietnam and evidence suggests their rates of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) were significant, with 21% prevalence of lifetime PTSD and 12% still experiencing symptoms. Recent estimates suggest 17% or more of returning Iraq veterans will develop PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, or depression; that is twice the percentage among pre-deployment soldiers and is four times that of civilian populations.

A current PhD student at the University of Utah, Lynnette will carry out her Fulbright research with the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health at the University of Melbourne in Victoria from August 2008.

Lynnette’s research, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use in Australian Military Veterans, will utilize latent growth mixture modelling to examine the trajectory of change and relationship between PTSD and alcohol use in Australian military veterans following treatment. The research will test various models of interaction between PTSD and alcohol use in order to discern the bi-directional influences between these two phenomena over time.

“PTSD is a psychiatric condition characterized by symptoms that include re-experiencing trauma; emotional numbing and avoidance of thinking, or talking about past trauma or situations that trigger memories of trauma; and hypervigilance,” explains Lynnette.

“Individuals with PTSD often experience additional psychiatric symptoms including depression, anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and substance abuse and dependence. In regards to the latter, the U.S. National Center for PTSD reports that as many as 80% of veterans with PTSD struggle with alcohol abuse or dependence.”

Lynnette will be based at the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health (ACPMH), an internationally renowned research facility that collaborates closely with the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and is part of the University of Melbourne.

Lynnette is a graduate of Westminister College with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology. She has been recognized for academic performance by a number of awards, including a Steffensen Cannon Scholarship in 2006/07 and 2007/08 and an Outstanding Student Humanitarian Award in 2005. In 2006 she presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Conference and also had a book chapter published by Cambridge Scholars Press. Additionally, she was recently named University of Utah’s Founder’s Day Scholar for 2008/09.