Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons^™

Coming Home: Veterans Leaving Service Face A Deadly Identity Crisis, Alexandria M. Hammond

Capstones

Many veterans are not adequately prepared for the psychological challenges they will face when leaving the military and transitioning to civilian life. Researchers, advocates and veterans themselves are beginning to realize how this "transition stress" is contributing to the high rates of veteran suicide in the United States.

Link to Capstone: http://monroehammond.com/uncategorized/coming-home-veterans-leaving-service-face-a-deadly-identity-crisis/

"We've Been Here All Along" : The Standpoint And Collective Resilience Of Transgender U.S. Service Members., Jacob R. Eleazer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The 2010 repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) policy ended the ban on open lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) military service (Alford & Lee, 2016). However, prior to 2015 transgender military personnel were still considered medically and psychologically unfit for service (Kerrigan, 2012; Yerke & Mitchell, 2013). From 2015 through 2017, the Department of Defense (DoD) researched the implications of policy change, developed new policies and trainings, and implemented open service for transgender persons (Belkin, 2016; Carter, 2015). The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of transgender military service members prior to this transition in …

From The Boots On The Ground: A Comparison Of The Attitudes And Beliefs Of Military Members And Mental Health Professionals Regarding The Moral Injury Construct, Karis L. Callaway

Dissertations

An increasing amount of research conducted in recent years indicates that, in addition to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, moral injury is a key concept to recognize when considering the deployment experiences of service members. Although related to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, which is a fear-based mental health diagnosis, moral injury is a distinct concept. It acknowledges the possible prolonged negative psychological, social, and spiritual consequences that may occur after experiences that challenge and transgress one’s deeply held moral beliefs. Events such as perpetration of harm, failing to protect or prevent harm, and witnessing or learning about distressing acts committed by influential others …

For The Common Defense: The Evolution Of National Security Strategy-Making Institutions & Impact On American Grand Strategy, Nathan D. Barrick

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation applies a Neoclassical Realism model to examine how the evolution of United States (U.S.) national security strategy-making institutions has resulted in a path dependent accrual of autonomy and increasing influence over the formulation of American grand strategy. Once U.S. national security strategy-making institutions were created, their existence inexorably led to increasing autonomy, the creation of new strategy-making institutions, and subtle influence in shaping American grand strategy by preferential focus on a militarized foreign policy. Additionally, the more autonomous these strategy-making institutions have become, the further they have strayed from the Constitutional mandate to create a government which provides …

Is Pakistani State At War With Free Press?, Umer Bin Ajmal

MSJ Capstone Projects

Pakistan’s media scene today depicts a similar picture where many journalists say they have been “conditioned” to self-censor news. But unlike Pavlov using a sound as a stimulus, certain “powers that be” use threat and violence to intimidate journalists and force them to behave in a certain way. Psychologists around the world say there is a lesson in this experiment: it demonstrates that human behavior, too, can be manipulated or maneuvered through conditioning.

Post-Civil War Peace Durability: The Role Of Domestic Infrastructure And Military, Alexandra Wilson

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Since 1945, approximately half of the world’s states have been engaged in some type of civil conflict. The aim of this research is to understand why some post-civil war states fail to establish peace durability while others thrive. Through quantitative research of civil wars globally and a qualitative analysis of Iraq, this thesis argues for the necessity of post-civil war policy to focus on the renewal of domestic infrastructure in addition to military investment which suppresses grievance-driven violence. A logistical regression model of all civil wars since 1945 shows that variables, such as healthcare, are evidently associated with more durable …

Examining Adaptive Structures Of Military Families In Relation To Deployment, Gabriel Reed

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Military families experience stressors unique to their occupation which strongly influence family structure. Deployment is one of the most impactful and unique experiences that a majority of current military families have experienced as it influences familial stability and structures. Previous research has found that when compared to civilian American families, military families tend to identify as more rigid than flexible while still maintaining good familial satisfaction reports. By examining the correlation between various family structure domains of military families (cohesion, flexibility, rigidity, deployment history, and familial satisfaction) mental health workers may better assist these families in establishing strategies to endure …

African American Army Women's Journeys: A Question Of Mentoring, Renee Adryce Rouse

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examined how mentors aided the career progression of African American women who held leadership positions in the U.S. Army. It was focused on mentoring relationships of African American army women, challenges and successes of their mentoring experiences, and their perceived effects these mentoring relationships had on their career advancement and construct of success. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 women aged 32 to 64 years old, of varying rank ranging from Sergeant Major to Colonel. The majority enlisted to assist with their incurred college expenses. At the time of the interviews, the participants were either on …

Influence Of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Policy On Army Families' Food Insecurity, Kathleen Anne Van Voorhis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Food insecurity (not having continuing access to nutritious food to maintain health) is common in the United States, especially in working poor households. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a well-documented safety net for individuals and families struggling with food insecurity. Little is known about the effect of SNAP policy on food insecurity in working poor military households. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of food-insecure Army families and the perceived influence of SNAP policy on their food-insecurity. The theoretical framework was policy feedback theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with …