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Full-Text Articles in Psychology

Improving Veterans’ Psychological Well-Being With A Positive Psychology Gratitude Exercise, Clara Im Adkins Dec 2020

Improving Veterans’ Psychological Well-Being With A Positive Psychology Gratitude Exercise, Clara Im Adkins

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

The demand for therapeutic services and effective counseling interventions aimed at rehabilitating veterans has increased exponentially over the past thirty years. Veterans with PTSD symptoms experience several problems including, relationship issues, lower life satisfaction, suicidal ideation, isolation, and comorbid diagnoses. Current research on veterans diagnosed with PTSD suggests integrating wellness and strength-based approaches aimed at developing positive psychology characteristics into clinical services for veterans. Gratitude is a core construct in positive psychology and has been practiced in cultures all over the world. Gratitude journal interventions have been proven to increase well-being, positive affect, social relationships, optimism, life satisfaction, and lower …


A Phenomenological Investigation Of African American Male Veterans’ Experience Of Social Connection, Brian Coleman Aug 2020

A Phenomenological Investigation Of African American Male Veterans’ Experience Of Social Connection, Brian Coleman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research project examines the experience of African American male veterans’ social connections with other veterans. Social connection has been found to be a key factor in promoting positive health outcomes and overall well-being. In addition, social connection involves not only a sense of being connected to others but can also include feelings of exclusion. Given the increasing health disparities of between African American and White men, and of our nation’s veteran population, greater attention to factors that promote well-being are essential. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the lived experiences of social connection of African American …


Morally Injurious Experiences, Trauma-Related Guilt, And Substance Use Among Iraq And Afghanistan Combat Veterans, Allison T. Battles Aug 2020

Morally Injurious Experiences, Trauma-Related Guilt, And Substance Use Among Iraq And Afghanistan Combat Veterans, Allison T. Battles

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Exposure to morally injurious experiences (MIEs), or stressors that transgress deeply held moral beliefs, are risk factors for hazardous alcohol use and drug abuse among combat veterans. Guilt following a traumatic event also has a negative impact on veteran’s mental health and is conceptualized as a core symptom of moral injury that may elicit secondary outcomes, including substance use. Significant gaps remain in our understanding of the way MIEs and trauma-related guilt relate to hazardous alcohol use and drug abuse symptoms. Most prior research on MIEs and substance use have been limited to veterans sampled from the general population and …


Military Sexual Trauma In Veterans: Consequences, Treatment, And Therapeutic Implications, Chelsey Siville Jul 2020

Military Sexual Trauma In Veterans: Consequences, Treatment, And Therapeutic Implications, Chelsey Siville

Dissertations

Amongst Veterans served within the Veterans Affairs healthcare system, approximately 1 in 50 men and 1 in 3 women have experienced military sexual trauma (MST). While every individual is different, a common characteristic or identity amongst those who have served is that of a warrior – someone perceived as strong and ready to defend both their country and fellow soldier. Experiencing military sexual trauma can create a painful and discrepant identity as well as impact almost all domains of functioning. Unfortunately, trauma is an all too common occurrence in the lives of many service members and the multifinality of trauma …


2019/2020 Lrsp: Ricardo Andres Pimentel, Ricardo Andres Pimentel Apr 2020

2019/2020 Lrsp: Ricardo Andres Pimentel, Ricardo Andres Pimentel

Library Research Scholars Program

Decades of constant wars have produced millions of military personnel returning home after their stints protecting their country. Though many of these military members are able to fully reintegrate into society, a significant minority return with psychical and psychological difficulties. Included in this vast list of difficulties is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This disorder is particularly endemic to military populations, and although numerous treatment modalities are available to veterans with PTSD, they are not all effective for every individual. Thus, numerous grassroots and private organizations have been working to pair veterans with service dogs for the treatment of PTSD. …


An Exploration Of Attitudes Among Veterans And Military Personnel Regarding Care And Reintegration, Mavis Jean Christopher Jan 2020

An Exploration Of Attitudes Among Veterans And Military Personnel Regarding Care And Reintegration, Mavis Jean Christopher

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Reintegration is a complicated process and becomes more difficult due to stigma toward care seeking. Stigma can act as an influence to avoid treatment or terminate treatment early. The problem is that the attitudes of veterans and military personnel toward care seeking prior to discharge are unknown, particularly with respect to the lack of anonymity or privacy. Also unknown is what these populations desire to be included in reintegration treatment/training. The purpose of this study was to discover and interpret the attitudes of this population toward care seeking. The conceptual framework included military culture, masculine ideology, and stigma. The research …


Service Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Face Employment Challenges Postdeployment, Donna Scurlark Sargent Jan 2020

Service Members With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Face Employment Challenges Postdeployment, Donna Scurlark Sargent

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe Iraq War was the longest war in the history of the United States, involving over 2 million service members. Service members who served in Iraq or Afghanistan experienced a high rate of mental health disorders including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and substance abuse as they returned from deployment. Research is lacking in regard to how Army reservists and National Guardsmen function at home, school, work, and in the community upon their return from service. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of service members with PTSD who experienced challenges with work …


Factors Affecting Commitment For Military Couples, Laura Villalobos Garza Jan 2020

Factors Affecting Commitment For Military Couples, Laura Villalobos Garza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The reintegration process for combat veterans is challenging not only for soldiers but also for their spouses and family members. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine factors affecting relationship commitment in military couples in which a service member has shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Sternberg’s triangular theory of love provided the framework for the study. Independent variables were passion, intimacy, age, and social support, and the dependent variable was commitment. Survey data were collected from 116 participants using Sternberg’s Triangular Love Scale and the Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale. The results of multiple linear regression …


Lived Experience Of Veterans With Service-Linked Ptsd Utilizing Non-Clinical Employment Programs, Reina Diana Cubbage Jan 2020

Lived Experience Of Veterans With Service-Linked Ptsd Utilizing Non-Clinical Employment Programs, Reina Diana Cubbage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Currently, employment programs for veterans focus heavily on the clinical nature of veterans with service-linked PTSD, with little to no focus on the lived experience of non-clinical employment programs. The purpose of this qualitative study explored the lived experience of male veterans with service-linked PTSD utilizing non-clinical employment programs designed to assist them in finding and maintaining employment while transitioning from the military into the civilian workforce. This study utilized an explanatory case study design with a sample of 8 male combat veterans with service-linked PTSD who have utilized non-clinical employment programs. Data for this study were collected through interviews …


Qualitative Inquiry Of Resilience In Veterans Transitioning To Civilian Life, Brenda D. Nicholson Jan 2020

Qualitative Inquiry Of Resilience In Veterans Transitioning To Civilian Life, Brenda D. Nicholson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This qualitative phenomenological research focused on the resilience of 10 veterans transitioning back to civilian life. An increase in suicide rates among veterans over the last 10 years has become a major concern for the U.S. Congress and Department of Defense (DoD). The theoretical frameworks guiding the study are Durkheim’s suicide theory, Lindenberg and Frey’s social production function theory, and Diener’s deindividuation theory. Many veterans have no self-awareness of their need for psychological and transitional assistance, leaving them vulnerable during a time of potentially increased and unfamiliar stress. Understanding the need for effective psychological adjustment and resilience in military members …


Morally Injurious Experiences Of Combat Exposed Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan: Moderating Effects Of Self-Forgiveness On Feelings Of Shame And Guilt, Timothy Swiger Jan 2020

Morally Injurious Experiences Of Combat Exposed Veterans Of Iraq And Afghanistan: Moderating Effects Of Self-Forgiveness On Feelings Of Shame And Guilt, Timothy Swiger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Moral injury is a construct developed to explain a unique symptom profile of individuals who may have perpetrated, witnessed, or learned about events that transgress their held moral beliefs. Among combat exposed Veterans, particular attention has been focused on the ambiguous nature of recent military conflicts and the increased moral conflicts associated with more recent, unconventional combat tactics and strategies. This study examined the relationship between moral injury and feelings of shame and guilt among a large sample (n=198) of Veterans who deployed in support of conflicts in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. Additionally, this study sought to examine self-forgiveness …


Adjustment To College And Alcohol-Related Problems Among Student Veterans : Is Social Support A Buffer?, Lindsay Claire Buckner Jan 2020

Adjustment To College And Alcohol-Related Problems Among Student Veterans : Is Social Support A Buffer?, Lindsay Claire Buckner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

U.S. Military veterans are increasingly represented on college campuses nationwide and, like their civilian peers, appear to be at risk for heavy alcohol use and its related problems. Qualitative research indicates that the college experience is fraught for many student veterans, owing to difficulty with adjustment to the social, academic, or emotional challenges unique to a higher education setting. Adjustment to college appears to be a risk factor for alcohol-related problems in civilian college students, but the extent to which this relation generalizes to student veterans is unknown. The current study sought to (1) determine the unique effects of alcohol …