<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of 5 variables&mdash;primary appraisal, secondary appraisal, coping skill, social support, and stigma&mdash;to bereavement among women whose military spouses had completed suicide. Correlational analyses determined the separate linear relationships between bereavement and each of the other variables. Four correlations to bereavement (primary appraisal, secondary appraisal, coping skills, and stigma) were significant. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis (Newton &amp; Rudestam, 1999; Tabachnick &amp; Fidell, 2007) assessed the overall relationship of bereavement (the criterion variable) to the 5 predictor variables, along with the unique contribution of each predictor variable. In the regression, 5 of 6 models (all except Model 4) showed significance. This dissertation has practical implications: statistically significant correlations between bereavement and constructs of Lazarus' Cognitive Stress Theory (LCST; Lazarus &amp; Folkman, 1984), as well as the significance of Lazarus' construct of primary appraisal within Model 6, indicate that LCST holds promise for understanding symptoms of bereavement in women whose military spouses have completed suicide. In 2010, the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) reported that over 40,000 people committed suicide yearly, with each suicide impacting an estimated 20 people.</p>

<p> More than half of spouses of U. S. Army active duty soldiers are overweight or obese. In the U.S. almost a half million people die annually because of health related problems to being overweight or obese (Robbins, Chao, Baumgartner, Runyan, Oordt, &amp; Foneseca, 2006). The military spends $1.1 billion a year on problems related to being overweight or obese for active duty military personnel, retirees, and their families (Dall et al., 2007). </p><p> <i>Method:</i> Permission was granted from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the University of Maryland Institutional Review Board (IRB) to use the 2008 Active Duty Spouses Survey (ADSS) for the secondary data analyses used in this dissertation. Multiple and logistic regression analyses of U.S. Army spouses (<i>n</i> = 1863) examine the association of deployment status within the last year (not deployed, deployed but not to a combat zone, and deployed to a combat zone) with weight status, as measured with body mass index (BMI) scores (healthy weight versus overweight or obese). The independent variables examined were gender, age, race, rank of soldier, education, psychological distress, and perceived social support scores. </p><p> <i>Results:</i> Deployment status and weight status were not related (<i>p</i> = .097). Three-quarters of the male spouses and almost half of the female spouses were overweight or obese. Spouses of soldiers in the enlisted ranks (E5-E9), minority spouses, and those without at least a four-year college degree are more likely to be overweight or obese. As spouses' age and psychological distress increases and perceived social support decreases their BMI increases. </p><p> <i>Conclusions:</i> Findings suggest the risk factors associated with being overweight or obese are minorities; male spouses; the ranks of E5 - E9; less than a four-year degree; as age and psychological distress scores increase so does BMI; and as perceived social support scores increase the BMI decreases. The risk factors may contribute to the Army Surgeon General's Performance Triad of sleep, activity, and nutrition and be used to assist Army personnel and Department of the Army (DA) civilians to teach spouses awareness and methods of changing behaviors that result in choosing healthy options.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2549. Adviser: James A. Leach. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 157-167) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Extra-state war, a conflict between a state and non-state actor outside of the state’s borders, is an understudied phenomenon. In order to begin a discussion on this topic, this paper seeks to understand the factors that affect extra-state war duration. Using literature on interstate and intrastate wars, I hypothesize that military intervention in support of the non-state actor, an equitable distribution of third-party military interventions, and economic intervention in the form of support will increase war duration. I also hypothesize that military intervention on behalf of the state and diplomatic intervention by a third party will decrease duration. I test my hypotheses using a multi-method resource design. First, using quantitative data drawn from extra-systemic wars between 1816 and 2007, I find support for the hypothesis that military intervention on behalf of the non-state actor increases duration. In addition, I find that military intervention on behalf of the state also increases war duration. I supplement my regression analysis with a series of case studies on the Western Saharan War, Cisplatine War, and Mozambican War of Independence. I find that an equitable distribution of military interventions as well as economic support increase duration. Diplomatic intervention, on the other hand, decreases war duration. Taken together, my findings suggest that the various forms of intervention play a crucial role in explaining extra-state war duration.

<p>This study examined US enlisted veterans? personal agency during their transition from the military to civilian workforce. Veterans currently working in a civilian corporate environment were involved: 41 were surveyed, 10 were interviewed, and 80 supplied comments to the researcher?s LinkedIn request for responses. Participants were asked to describe their sense of personal agency and how it evolved over the time period before, during, and after military service. Participants offered slightly varying descriptions of their transition experience. In general, participants experienced low agency before military service, minimal agency at the start of military service that grew over time, and an unprecedented and sometimes paralyzing degree of freedom and agency after military service. Transitioning veterans are thus advised to understand that the psychological transition process is complex, increase their competencies through cultural immersion experiences and field research, maintain a learning mindset, and build a relevant and committed support team.

<p> The current doctoral dissertation project was conceived in response to the unmet need for moral injury research in minority populations. As a result, the specific aims were to (1) collect high-quality, in-depth information on the wartime experiences of recently separated Latino combat veterans, and (2) conduct a focused, systematic investigation of the emerging moral injury construct as revealed in Latino veterans&rsquo; combat narratives. Twenty-one (<i>N</i> = 21) Latino combat veterans were interviewed regarding potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) that they may have experienced during military training or while on a combat deployment. The findings suggest that PMIEs may encompass a wider range of experiences than previously thought, and that ordinary combat experiences may occasion moral conflicts that develop into chronic moral injuries. Such experiences include being fired upon by an enemy combatant; learning about injuries or deaths of comrades, including suicides and suicide attempts; and seeing the remains of dead enemy combatants. The current findings also suggest that experiences of perceived ethnic or racial discrimination occurring during combat deployments may be experienced by Latino service members as moral injury events. Finally, the current findings suggest that PMIEs may also occur during military training and that such events may occasion lasting moral conflicts or deleterious psychological effects. Further research is needed to extend these findings to additional veteran groups, including female veterans and other ethnic minorities. Future research should also investigate the conditions, including state and trait characteristics, under which PMIEs are likely to occasion long-term negative consequences.</p><p>

<p> This research study was intended to understand how the Post 9/11 enlisted female veteran population understands their gender in the context of their active duty military experience and transition into a post-military life while engaging in higher education. Propelled into higher education via their military service and improved educational benefits via the Post 9/11 GI Bill, female veterans are accessing their education benefits at the highest rate ever. After decades of a lack of scholarship regarding this student population, there is a growing body of knowledge in the area of Post 9/11 era student veterans, how campuses should be providing support services, and the effect their service has on them during their post-military life and education. Using basic qualitative research methods and a feminist lens, the researcher found that female veterans embodied their military identity and navigated conflict while on active duty and in their post-military lives, they experience disjunction and embody their female veteran identity. Implications listed for Student Affairs and transition services practitioners.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this research study was to identify leadership strategies and practices for overcoming adversity in military organizations. This entailed determining what challenges military leaders face in implementing practices aimed at fostering resilience in their organizations. Also examined was how military leaders measure success at fostering resilience in their organizations. Finally, this study considered what recommendations military leaders would make to aspiring leaders wanting to foster resilience in their own organizations in the future. The researcher used a phenomenological approach that incorporated interviews and content analysis. The population for this study was United States Marine Corps infantry officers who commanded battalions in a war zone in Iraq or Afghanistan between 2003 and 2014. The results of this study suggest that the personal attributes that enable military leaders to overcome adversity during combat operations are: (1) educated and trained, (2) physically fit, and (3) believing in God. This study suggests that the foundational practices for overcoming adversity in military organizations are: (1) build cohesion in the organization by conducting small unit training, (2) create a positive command climate in the organization, and (3) instill a sense of purpose in the organization. This study suggests that the pre-deployment practices for fostering resilience in military organizations are: (1) demonstrate character to subordinates, (2) win the affection of subordinates, (3) design training for the organization that builds competence and confidence, (4) design realistic training for the organization that creates adversity, and (5) manage expectations about war. This study suggests that the deployment practices for overcoming adversity in military organizations are: (1) share in the danger with subordinates, (2) be calm and confident on the battlefield, (3) focus on the mission, (4) do not second-guess decisions, (5) talk about the casualties and killing, (6) keep the unit moving after casualties and killing, (7) keep subordinates informed, and (8) empower small unit leadership.</p><p>

<p> This qualitative descriptive narrative research was the first known study to collect participants&rsquo; perceptions on the effectiveness of the Marine Corps&rsquo; Light Armored Vehicle driver training. The general problem was the Marine Corps&rsquo; vague guidance on curriculum development, instruction, and assessment for driver training of the Light armored Vehicle (LAV). Specifically, it is unknown how LAV drivers perceive the effectiveness of their driver training. The single research question for this study was what are the participants&rsquo; perceptions of the effectiveness of the Light Armored Vehicle Training Course&rsquo;s driver curriculum? This study used a semi-structured interview format comprised of 10 open-ended questions to interview 20 former LAV drivers. Thematic coding discovered six themes: (1) heavy reliance on PowerPoint, (2) instructors rushing through the course, (3) low instructor motivation, (4) minimal driving time, (5) highly standardized instruction, and (6) the need for an extended course. Uncovered by participants, the findings of this research showed gaps in the LAVTC&rsquo;s current education procedure, a heavy reliance on traditional learning methods, improper training emphasis, and instructor weaknesses. To ensure training and education standards are in keeping with the expectations of the United States Marine Corps. Participants&rsquo; observations, perceptions, and experiences are reference points to address the specific problem statement of this study, and to assist military educators and leaders in making measurable and pragmatic corrections to the LAVTC&rsquo;s driver training.</p><p>

<p>The purpose of this research is to investigate Chickering and Reisser (1993) Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education and determine the relationship, if any, among these principles and student performance and satisfaction in the in-residence verses virtual Professional Military Education (PME) programs. Additionally, determine if there is a difference in satisfaction and performance between the virtual and in-residence PME. All Airmen (Amn) of the United States Air Force (USAF) must attend Airman Leadership School (ALS) as a part of their Professional Military Education (PME) (Air Force Instruction 36-2502, 2009; Air Force Instruction 36-2618, 2009). This training is offered via two venues: an in-residence program and a virtual learning program. The average age of students (Senior Airmen) attending ALS is 28.7 years of age (J. Geidner, personal communication, January 29, 2015), which aligns these individuals to the Millennial Generation (Koeller, 2012; Papp & Matulich, 2011). Despite a population of students well-versed in the use of computers and technology, the individuals attending the virtual learning program experience a failure rate which is 34.21% higher than for students attending in-residence (J. Geidner, personal communication, January 29, 2015; E. DeVoursney, personal communication, January 30, 2015). Research by Chickering and Reisser (1993) describes seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education that facilitate effective learning in both in-residence and virtual environments. Partridge and Hallam (2006) suggests these principles of good practice may align well with the characteristics of millennial learners. This research has determined we can support current literature (Koeller, 2012, Espinoza et al., 2010; Papp & Matulich, 2011, Coomes & Debard, 2004) which shows a relationship between Chickering and Reisser?s (1993) seven principles and the characteristics of the millennial students (Figure 1). It identified there is a statistical significant difference in student?s satisfaction and performance between the two learning programs. There is a moderate to strong positive correlation, in both in-residence and virtual ALS, between the seven principles, satisfaction and performance. The educational venue, with the inclusion of the seven principles, statistically significantly predict student satisfaction and performance. Therefore, the research has shown with the inclusion of Chickering and Reisser (1993) Seven Principles of Good Practice in Undergraduate Education there will be an increase in student performance and satisfaction.