Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University

Aim: Most veterans have a successful transition to civilian life when they leave the military. However, there are some veterans who struggle to cope and adjust to the demands and challenges of civilian life. The aims of this research portfolio are: firstly to systematically review the published literature regarding the relationship between six emotion regulation strategies (acceptance, avoidance, problem-solving, reappraisal, rumination and suppression) and veteran mental health (PTSD, depression and anxiety); and secondly, to explore psychosocial factors (mental health, stigma, self-stigma, attitude towards and likelihood of help-seeking, experiential avoidance, reappraisal and suppression) that influence veteran adjustment from military to civilian life, and to determine which of these predict a poor transition. Method: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Strict search criteria were applied and resulted in 23 studies which met the full inclusion criteria for the review. For the empirical study, 154 veterans across Scotland completed a set of questionnaires. Results: The systematic review highlighted significant relationships between the emotion regulation strategies and mental health disorders in the veteran population. The strength and direction of these relationships depended on the emotion regulation strategy and the mental health condition. The empirical study found that mental health, experiential avoidance and cognitive reappraisal predicted veteran adjustment difficulty. Discussion: There are clear links between veterans’ mental health, the way veterans regulate their emotions and the degree to which they adjust to civilian life. This has implications for how veterans are supported when they leave the Armed Forces, in terms of services and health professionals being able to better understand and support their difficulties, to facilitate their re-integration into civilian life.

This thesis is based on a longitudinal study of servicemen and their families, as they experience transition from careers in the Royal Navy to civilian life. The analysis is based on data derived from three sets of focused interviews with twenty couples, conducted in Plymouth over a period between November 1995 and October 1998, and the findings of a questionnaire survey of just over two-hundred leavers. It develops a theoretically distinctive approach, drawing on the literature of organisations, discourses and identity, in order to understand servicemen's relationships with naval careers, and the implications for adaptation to civilian life on leaving. The research examines the meanings that men attach to naval careers and organisations, and their symbolic significance for their experiences of both service and civilian life. The analysis addresses the effects of careers on identity, decision-making, personal relationships and friendship networks, families, domestic divisions of labour, career interplay, parenting and resettlement. Whilst general patterns of success or failure in resettlement have been the main focus of past interest, this thesis uncovers the differential experiences of leavers in all their complexity. The study identifies a relationship between quantitatively and qualitatively different levels of naval involvement and the personal and familial experiences of career change and resettlement. The main findings of the work relate to wider issues of organisations, cultures and discourses, and are relevant to current debates about the future of military cultures, as well as the more specific issues surrounding resettlement.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:11:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 731606 bytes, checksum: 64482e3467ed6ada38cd42eac3144e12 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-13 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The thought of the Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico [1668-1744] has as its overriding question an investigation about the principles of the civilian world of nations and therefore has as problematic knowledge of the genesis of the human heritage. In that sense, this dissertation is aimed at presenting the path by which Vico passed until his project of a new science was performed. The same way, it is argued here that the development of Vico s thought reflects not only his intellectual formation, as it is responsible for preparing of the author in relation to his project of a new science. Thus, to the travel the path by which one constituted Vico s thought, the reader is also getting ready for the proposal of this new science, which shows how a new metaphysics and, in any case, serves as warning to solidify the importance of civil life. In this regard, it can be stated, therefore, that in his Inaugural Prayers [Orationes Inaugurales], especially in De Ratione [1708], the question of the reform of learning faces the quarrel between ancient and modern, in the De Antiquissima [1710] the question of knowledge faces the limitation of to the human mind that is a product of his doing [facere], as well as the complete and infinite knowledge that God has of all things, both applied the criterion of the verum-factum, where the true is identified with the feat. In Diritto Universale [1721] the relationship between verum and certum, ratio and auctoritas, ie, the solidification of convergence between Philosophy and Philology, since, in this book, it presents the Philology as science. However, such issues are exposed in his Vita [1728] and present themselves essential for the formation of Vico s project of new science, namely the realization of his magnum opu s, the Scienza Nuova, with last edition in 1744. With that, the importance of the relationship between philosophy and philology, for Vico, it is essential to study the civilian world nations, thus confirming a pathway not only theoretical but also the practical sense that this new science has. / O pensamento do filósofo italiano Giambattista Vico [1668-1744] tem como questão primordial uma investigação acerca dos princípios do mundo civil das nações e, consequentemente, tem como problemática o conhecimento da gênese do patrimônio da humanidade. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar o percurso pelo qual Vico passou até que seu projeto de uma nova ciência fosse realizado. Do mesmo modo, afirma-se aqui, que o desenvolvimento do pensamento viquiano reflete não só a sua formação intelectual, como é responsável pela preparação do próprio autor no que concerne ao seu projeto de uma nova ciência. Sendo assim, ao percorrer o caminho pelo qual se constituiu o pensamento viquiano, o leitor também se prepara para a proposta dessa nova ciência, que se mostra como uma nova metafísica e, de todo modo, serve como alerta para solidificar a importância da vida civil. A respeito disso, pode-se afirmar, portanto, que nas suas Orações inaugurais [Orationes Inaugurales], em especial no De Ratione [1708], a questão da reforma do saber enfrenta a querela entre antigos e modernos, no De Antiquissima [1710] a questão do conhecimento enfrenta a limitação da mente humana àquilo que é produto do seu fazer [facere], assim como do conhecimento infinito e completo que Deus tem de todas as coisas, ambos aplicados ao critério do verum-factum, onde o verdadeiro se identifica com o feito. No Diritto Universale [1721] a relação entre certum e verum, ratio e auctoritas, ou seja, a solidificação da convergência entre Filosofia e Filologia, não obstante Vico, nessa obra, ter apresentado a Filologia como ciência. Todavia, tais questões são expostas na sua Vita [1728] e se apresentam essenciais para a formação do projeto viquiano de uma nova ciência, a saber, a realização da sua obra magna, a Scienza Nuova, com última edição em 1744. Com isso, a importância da relação entre Filosofia e Filologia, para Vico, é imprescindível para o estudo do mundo civil das nações, confirmando assim uma via não meramente teorética, mas o sentido prático que tem essa nova ciência.

The aim of this study was to describe the dimensions of Turkish Gazis' transition to civilian life, to explore the main factors that make this process easier or more difficult, and their psychological integration, that is, specifically, satisfaction with their life. To that end, this study examined the impact of combat-related traumatic stressor (e.g., functional limitations), personal resources (social support, sense of mastery), perceived mental health on Turkish veterans' adjustment into civilian life and their psychological integration. The data was collected in Turkey in 2015 by the researcher with the help of Türkiye Harp Malulü Gaziler Şehit Dul ve Yetimler Derneği, a non-profit veteran organization. The final sample included 240 Turkish Gazis. The level of perceived transition into civilian life and veterans' life satisfaction were the dependent variables in this study. A series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was conducted. Hayes' PROCESS macro 3.0 was utilized to measure the direct, indirect and moderation effects of variables on transition and life satisfaction among Gazis. The results demonstrated that perceived available social support, perceived sense of mastery and mental health partially mediated the association between Gazis' functional limitations and transition into civilian life and they fully mediated the association between functional limitations and life satisfaction. Among control variables, only household income predicted transition into civilian life, and place of residence was the only significant predictor of life satisfaction. However, neither social support nor mastery had moderation effect on the relationship between functional limitations and dependent variables. Policy implications and suggestions for further studies are also provided at the end of the dissertation.