Female veterans have increased risks for housing instability and homelessness linked to predictors such as housing affordability challenges, abuse and trauma experiences, education and employment barriers, mental health and substance use conditions, and social support deficiencies. Social service providers specializing in services to veterans benefit from specialized training in these areas to support female veterans seeking their services. This project evaluates the effectiveness of the Protecting the Home-Front curriculum designed to inform social service providers serving veterans about these risk factors, service strategies, and resources available to support stable housing for female veterans. Through analysis of pre- to post-program knowledge of material, results suggest that service providers displayed significant increases in knowledge of presented material, service strategies, and available resources to support female veterans. These findings provide a model for a synthesized training curriculum for service providers to become equipped in providing supportive services to unstably housed and homeless female veterans within their communities. / Master of Science

The Space in Between: An Exploration of the Transition From Military Service to Life as a Homeless Female Veteran Abstract By Dana M. Howard University of the Pacific 2023 There are 18.2 million U.S. military veterans (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2021) and approximately 200,000 active-duty, reserve, and National Guard service members will become veterans each year (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.). Before becoming veterans, these military members were performing duties in service to their country (Duty Periods Defined, n.d.). Due to a planned or unplanned event, military personnel must transition from uniformed members to civilian citizens. This transition process can be characterized as disorienting, complex, or difficult for service members as they leave the service (Anderson & Goodman, 2014; Hachey et al., 2016; Keeling, 2018; Zogas, 2017). The congressionally mandated transition assistance program (TAP) was designed to help service members transition back to civilian life (Department of Labor, 2018). Despite support from the TAP, an estimated 33,129 veterans were unhoused in January of 2022, and of this number approximately 10.4% were females (de Sousa et al., 2022). Though the overall estimate for homeless veterans decreased by 11% from the 2020 count, the estimated number of unhoused female veterans increased by 10% (de Sousa et al., 2022). Some research has been conducted about homeless female veterans (Conard et al., 2021; Kenny & Yoder, 2019; Spinola et al., 2020), but not much is known about the space in between military service and becoming unstably housed. This study shares portraits and findings from interviews with nine female veterans and offers recommendations for improvements in support programs that might help a future generation of female veterans as they leave the military.

Background: The inclusion of women in the armed Forces is becoming increasingly commonplace, with figures currently standing at 10.2% of the regular Forces in the United Kingdom (UK). This is set to rise with the introduction of the new Ground Close Combat (GCC) ruling which came in earlier this year (2017), allowing women to serve on the frontline with their male colleagues. However, alongside these changes, women already face stressors and exposure to combat in the Forces that potentially contribute to difficult transitions back into everyday life when leaving the military environment. The aim of this study was therefore to engage with and explore the experiences of female veterans psychological health and wellbeing as they transition from the Forces into civilian life, understanding the different processes they encounter as they transition. Methodology: Six female veterans who fit the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. In this qualitative study, semi-structured, one-to-one, in-depth interviews were conducted and analysed in accordance with Charmaz's (2006) Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) guidelines. This iterative and inductive analytical process was utilised to construct an understanding of the participant's experiences and understandings of their transition. Findings: Concurrent with the CGT approach, nine theoretical categories developed from the analysis of the interviews, including role reversal, sexism and loss. These contributed to the development of a transition model, representing an interaction between the military environment, no mans land and the civilian environment. Findings indicate that experiences of transitioning faced by female veterans are complex, and involve gender-related issues. The findings also suggest that problems with mental health such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are common, and are heightened by additional stressors specific to women's experience in the military and civilian environments. Discussion and Conclusion: These findings suggest that female veterans health and psychological wellbeing experiences in the military are parallel to those they experience in civilian life. Consistent with previous literature, the female veterans interviewed appear to have experienced their transitions differently to male counterparts, with additional stressors present throughout their transitions. These stressors contribute to the uncertainty of identity, stigma and a loss of military ways when transitioning back into a civilian society. Consequently, more services that are tailored to female military veterans, are proposed, in order to support the increasing number of female veterans that will present in the future. This has implications for therapeutic practice in counselling psychology, whereby a deeper understanding of the difficulties and challenges experienced by female veterans during transition into civilian life can inform therapeutic interventions and signposting to specific services tailored their needs.

In this study, the focus was on Social Work students’ knowledge about interventions concerning homeless female veterans. The study was conducted from a Positivist Perspective with a theoretical orientation centered on the Feminist Theory. The literature review focused on risk factors associated with homeless female veterans along with their protective factors. Issues involving homeless female veterans were explored along with possible interventions. The study was conducted through an online survey and included participants from California State University, San Bernardino. Participants were from both the Bachelor’s and Master’s Social Work program and attended classes full-time on campus, part-time on campus and part-time online. The results of the study are meant to establish whether or not there is a positive correlation between social work students’ knowledge and their characteristics influencing their choice of appropriate interventions concerning homeless female veterans. The study also aimed to evaluate whether the social work program is educating students on the population of homeless female veterans and the needed support for the community. The study found that there were some correlations between certain characteristics of the social work student body at CSUSB and their knowledge of appropriate interventions for homeless female veterans. There were significant findings in regards to the students’ level within the program and their age. They were able to identify appropriate interventions and were aware of both harmful and protective factors affecting the homeless female veteran population. The implications of this research are to bring more awareness to the needs of female veterans in regards to homelessness and to point out the need for more emphasis on the needs of appropriate intervention strategies for female veterans in university curriculum. Continued research on female veterans is needed so that equality can be found in services such as health care, mental health and housing.

The number of female veterans is increasing daily. Previous research conducted on veterans has focused primarily on males or with small samples of females. Depression and suicidality are becoming increasingly evident in returning veterans. Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite that is common in the Middle East and has been reported to cause changes in personality and behavior. The purpose of the current study was to examine relationships between T. gondii antibody titer and socioeconomic variables, dysphoric moods, and risk-taking behaviors in a sample of 70 female veterans. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for T. gondii antibody titer and participants completed a battery of questionnaires, including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, Profile of Mood States (POMS), PTSD Checklist- Military version (PCL-M), Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), and a sexual harassment and assault questionnaire. Results of chi-squares showed a relationship between T. gondii titer, ethnicity, marital status, and level of education. Pearson's correlations and t-tests showed relationships between T. gondii titer and POMS depression, confusion, and anger subscales, and total mood disturbance scores.

abstract: Female college veterans face a host of struggles both personally and academically. Research that focuses primarily on female veterans’ wellness needs as they transition into civilian life is limited and this population is woefully understudied in comparison to male veterans. The purpose of this study was to describe and explore some of the wellness needs of female college veterans making the transition from military service to college/civilian life. Twelve hundred and thirty female veterans from a University Veterans Center were sent a recruitment email where 125 successfully completed a life satisfaction (Frisch, 1994), physical activity (Craig et al., 2003), resilience (Connor & Davidson, 2003), and a five-facet mindfulness (Baer et al., 2008) questionnaire. The means for this population were: Quality of life (M= 37.8), Resilience (M= 70.5), Physical Activity MET minutes (M= 4,605), and Five-facet mindfulness (M= Observing 3.50, Describing = 3.38, Acting with Awareness M= 3.02, Non-Judging of Inner Experience M= 2.98, Non-reactivity to Inner Experience M= 3.06). Resilience was significantly (p <0.01) and positively correlated to all five domains of mindfulness (range r = 0.332 – 0.534) and was negatively associated with Quality of Life (QOL) (r= -0.204). Vigorous Activity minutes and Total Met Minutes were both positively associated with QOL (r= 0.300 and r= 0.199 respectively). This population of female veterans self-reported to have very low/low life satisfaction, low resilience, and high physical activity levels. The behaviors and traits reported in these female college veterans provide important information for developing resources and potential interventions in the future. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Exercise and Wellness 2019

Female veterans' combat exposure to trauma places them at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which has consequences for healthful reintegration to family and civilian life. Previous research found that wives who provide continuous care to male veterans with PTSD experience symptoms of psychological distress; however, little research has been conducted on the influence of female veterans' PTSD on their intimate male partners' (IMPs) psychological well-being. A multivariate correlational design was used to examine the influence of female veteran PTSD on psychological distress and relationship quality in IMPs. The couples' adaption to traumatic stress model was used as the theoretical framework. The research questions examined (a) the difference between female veterans with and without PTSD on the length of time in the relationship, combat experience, the total number of deployments, and IMP psychological distress and (b) the influence of female veterans' combat experience, PTSD, and IMP psychological distress on relationship quality. A sample of 71 IMPs between the ages of 18 and 65 provided survey research data on the variables of interest. Psychological distress, number of partner deployments, and length of time in relationship discriminated significantly between IMPS whose partners were diagnosed with PTSD, not diagnosed, or did not know about the PTSD diagnosis. The regression results revealed that the psychological distress of IMPs and the number of partner deployments positively predicted relationship quality. Attention to female veterans and their families can contribute to increased retention of female service members in the Army and successful integration into family and civilian life.

Currently, between 21.9 and 23 million veterans have served in the United States armed forces. Of those, 2 million are women, and of those, only 6.5% use the Veterans Health Administration system. These females often suffer from physical and mental health disorders, and overall impaired quality of life (QOL), rendering their healthcare needs complex. Seeking, and providing care in this specialty area may become overwhelming not only for the women seeking the care, but also for healthcare systems that are unfamiliar with the specific needs of this population. A retrospective medical records review was completed of 51 female veterans between the ages of 40 and 60 years, and who attended a women’s health specialty clinic in a women’s health center in the VA healthcare system. This center provides comprehensive women’s health services to female veterans. By attending this center, female veterans are having most if not all of their healthcare needs met in one location. Some of the services provided at the center include: primary care; gynecology; other gender specific health care needs; mental health care; and social assistance among other issues that may be associated with the overall QOL and depression. Despite this study having a small sample size (n = 51), the participants were ethnically diverse: White (52.9%); African American (29.4%); Hispanic/Latino (15.7%); and Asian/Pacific Islander (2%). The overall results of this study reveal that female veterans who attend this clinic, have significantly lower baseline scores for QOL when compared to a North American population reference value. Means and standard deviation for total Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) score were; (n = 51, M = 21.2, SD = 9.2) compared to the North American women population reference values (n = 1,376, M = 9.1, SD = 7.6), z = 9.41, p < .0001, cohens d = 1.31. These results were significantly lower for all MRS subsets. The higher the means and standard deviation, the lower the QOL. A paired sample t-test indicated significant improvement in QOL after treatment in QOL (t = 7.80, p < .0001), and depression levels (t = 3.74, p < .0001) among female veterans attending the women’s health specialty clinic. Forward stepwise multiple linear regression models were fit to explore the association between the following variables and the outcomes of QOL and depression levels: low socioeconomic status (SES); number of deliveries; years of service; and military sexual trauma (MST). The only predictor that appeared to be significantly associated with higher MRS scores at baseline was a history of MST (β = .363; t = 2.44; p = 0.02). Higher MRS scores can be interpreted as lower QOL among female veterans. Despite the complexities and unique needs of female veterans, the findings of this study suggest that timely, comprehensive and gender specific healthcare can significantly improve overall QOL and depression levels. In addition, further studies are need to assess what other variables may have a direct association with QOL, depression levels, and overall health of female veterans.

The Donbas war in Ukraine has resulted in over 380,000 veterans who now have to reintegrate into civilian life again. What to do with former combatants has been on the agenda for many years since their reintegration plays a critical role in the transition from war to peace. Researchers have emphasized the relevancy of conducting more studies about how the veterans themselves experience the transition to civilian life. Therefore, this study which is based on ten qualitative in-depth interviews explores how Ukrainian war veterans experienced the reintegration process following the war in Donbas and how they adjusted their identities in the transition from military to civilian life.Through a thematic analytical approach and by using a theoretical framework related to identity adjustment processes their experiences were analysed. The results of this study show that although the extent to which the veterans are in need of assistance after deployment varies, all veterans did experience difficulties when returning to a civilian setting. The bureaucratic processes and media coverage of veterans were expressed to have the biggest negative impact. Female veterans had experiences that differed from their male counterparts both before deployment and during the transition phase. Moreover, all veterans to some extent experienced identity disruptions during the reintegration process. Ultimately, the ongoing war in Donbas is impacting the possibility for these veterans to fully move on and take on their civilian responsibilities. They continue to wait for the prospects of peace, both for their country and for themselves.