New positions have recently become available in the military and will eventually lead to increases in the number of female veterans in America. These women are influenced by adverse childhood events (ACE), post-traumatic stress disorder, and other life-altering incidents. Some female veterans show positive mental health status, resiliency, and lead healthy lives, while others female veterans battle high rates of alcohol abuse, substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide. Uncovering factors that lead to a positive mental health status is a critical component towards implementing gender-specific strategies to help female veterans build resiliency and coping mechanisms. An analysis of the ACE module included from the 2011 and 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) was used to build multiple linear regression models, Page 118 2016 Appalachian Student Research Forum and evaluate prevalence of three ACE events. These negative sexual events included being touched sexually by another, being forced to touch another sexually, or being forced to have sex as a child. Female veterans show higher prevalence of negative sexual ACE events when compared to civilian women. The biggest difference was being touched sexually prior to the age of 18 with 19% of veterans reporting this experience, compared to 14% of civilian women. The multiple linear regression model analyzed self-reported mentally healthy days of women within the last 30 days. Female veterans had 0.59 (p = 0.044) fewer mentally unhealthy days than civilian women during a 30-day period. The three sexual ACE variables significantly predicted unhealthy days for female veterans and civilians. Women forced to have sex had 2.5 (p = 0.000) more mentally unhealthy days and 1.9 (p = 0.000) more mentally unhealthy days when forced to touch another sexually. Older age, additional education, and increased income were significant and lowered the number of mentally unhealthy days, while marriage led to an increase of 0.18 (p = 0.005) unhealthy days. Results indicated that female veterans had1.35 (p = 0.002) fewer physically unhealthy days. It is noteworthy that female veterans are reporting a significant increase in mentally healthy days compared to their civilian counterparts, despite the higher prevalence of negative sexual ACEs. Further investigation is needed to discover the mental, behavioral, and demographic features that help some female veterans overcome the typical dose-response relationship between negative ACEs and unhealthy days. Evidence -based resiliency programs can then better assist female veterans who are struggling to survive.

Gulf War (GW) veterans are a unique cohort of individuals who were exposed to numerous neurotoxicants in theater. These exposures include pyridostigmine bromide pills, pesticides, chemical warfare agents, vaccines, combustion byproducts from oil well fires, and solvent fumes from chemical agent resistant coating paint. After returning home from deployment, GW veterans began reporting a constellation of symptoms that encompassed multiple body systems and has since been collectively termed Gulf War Illness (GWI). Research immediately following the war has linked several of the neurotoxicant exposures to adverse health outcomes including cardiovascular, neuropsychological, and neuroanatomical effects. Over the years, GW research has transitioned to focusing on the illness as a whole and to investigating its potential biomarkers and mechanisms. Much of this research has compared veterans with and without GWI, however this grouping may be problematic given that veterans without GWI may have been exposed to the same neurotoxicants but present without symptoms or health effects or with symptoms below the threshold for current GWI diagnostic criteria. Additionally, some neurotoxicant exposures, without initially producing overt signs of toxicity, may produce delayed and persistent effects. As GW veterans begin to age, neurotoxicant exposures may exert delayed effects that may be different from symptoms initially experienced after the war. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to continue to characterize health effects from neurotoxicant exposures in GW veterans. This dissertation aims to investigate the effects of individual neurotoxicant exposures on cardiac risk, neuropsychological functioning, and brain morphology in GW veterans, nearly 30 years post-war. The first study examines the impact of these exposures on cardiac risk using the Framingham 10-year cardiovascular disease risk score, as well as the prevalence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular medical conditions. The second study examines the impact of these exposures on neuropsychological and mood functioning, using an extensive battery of neuropsychological tests as well as the Profile of Mood States questionnaire. In the third study, the effects of these exposures on brain volumes of the Yeo functional networks are examined. The results of this dissertation will serve as a comprehensive update on GW veteran health regarding specific neurotoxicant exposures.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University, 1952

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

Military veteran entrepreneurs, also known as vetrepreneurs, form a unique entrepreneurial community based in part on their military-related skills and life experiences, the financial endowments derived from their service, and external influences like professional mentors and government-provided training programs. However, a research gap exists in the examination of the degree to which these factors meaningfully influence successful outcomes for military veterans who become small business entrepreneurs. Therefore, the research question for this project was: what experiences, endowments, and external influences impact successful entrepreneurial outcomes for small business vetrepreneurs? This exploratory research consisted of a mixed-methods approach involving a quantitative pilot study that included a survey of 70 veteran small business entrepreneurs (Study 1), and a qualitative case method study that included detailed interviews with 6 additional veteran entrepreneurs (Study 2). Among the findings in Study 1 were that military service is an advantage to vetrepreneurs, but traits such as education, military rank, job held in the military, and financial endowments were not. As discovered in Study 2, however, things like networking, passion for one’s business, and understanding administrative aspects of business are important contributors to successful outcomes. The implications for this research include potential updates to military pre-separation training programs, as well as providing useful data for both researchers and current or future vetrepreneurs. Keywords: Veteran Entrepreneurship, Vetrepreneur, Military Entrepreneurship / Business Administration/Entrepreneurship

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental illness resulting from exposure to a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD vary, but those affected commonly experience nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and trouble sleeping; they may also avoid people or situations that trigger traumatic memories. It is estimated that PTSD affects about 10-30% of all United States veterans. Additionally, traditional treatment methods have an average dropout rate of 25% among military personnel. Inadequate PTSD symptom management may lead to depression, anxiety, suicidality, isolation, unstable relationships, and substance misuse. The purpose of this review is to examine the current research concerning the use of service dogs as a treatment option for the management of PTSD and its associated symptoms among veterans with PTSD. A database search was done using CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, and MEDLINE. Limited research has been done on the effects service dogs have on American veterans' management of PTSD. A total of eight studies met all inclusion criteria and were analyzed as part of this literature review. The results of this review of the current literature suggest that psychiatric service dogs have a positive influence on the management of PTSD among veterans. The studies analyzed suggest that the acquisition of a service dog contributes to lower PTSD scores and sequelae among veterans.

Veterans’ preference policies in government employment, at all levels, have existed for the intention of providing advantages for veterans who consider employment in public service after military service. While the purpose of these policies is well intended for veterans who have served, there exists the potential that this practice can be perceived as an endorsement to hire from a pool of candidates that consists of mostly white males. From a representation standpoint, for women and minority groups, this creates the potential to undo much of the progress that has been made in terms of better representation within the public workforce. However, overall, veterans have experienced a wage premium in the public sector compared to the private, which creates the challenge that veteran employment can have a negative effect on one area of employment equity while maintaining a positive effect in another. Furthermore, external factors, both market-based and employment-based, may influence these effects as well. This research examines how veteran employment has impacted public-private representation among veteran women and minority groups, overall veteran public-private wage gaps, and the explanatory factors that affect veteran hiring and pay variances. Using public use data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) files this research looks to fill in the gap in the literature related to public-private veteran employment representation and wage variances. The findings of this research first indicate that even though veterans are overrepresented in government service, veteran women and minorities have an even higher likelihood of representation in government service compared to the private sector. The explanatory factors that influence this finding are GSP, per capita income, and the unemployment rate, while union membership illustrates mixed results. Second, this research indicates that veterans are paid a wage premium working in the public sector compared to the private sector. The explanatory factors that influence this finding are per capita income, the unemployment rate, and union membership, while GSP does not. The overall contribution of this research builds upon the literature related both the composition and compensation of veterans and the external factors that influence public-private employment equity.

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