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.

What contributes to sectarian conflict? Some existing literature essentializes sectarian identities and blames ancient hatred between different groups as the cause of conflict, this thesis argues that sectarian conflict occurs when sectarianism is politically employed by elite actors facing state weakness. The proposed theory suggests that a drop in state capacity regardless of the cause, can motivate political elite actors to instrumentalize the salience of sectarian identities as a form of either repression or cooptation targeting the sectarian outgroup for the purposes of regime survival. The theoretical claims in this study are examined using a qualitative comparative case study analysis of the Saddam Hussein and Nouri Al Maliki regimes in Iraq. The findings reveal that both Hussein and Maliki instrumentalized sectarian rhetoric and exploited divisions as a strategy of gaining or preserving political power during periods of increased state weakness. For example, Saddam's use of the Faith Campaign fueled the increased salience of sectarian identities in Iraq while Maliki's political purge campaigns marginalized the Sunnis. Furthermore, the approach of this study reveals variation in the forms of regimes that can successfully exploit and instrumentalize sectarian rhetoric, ranging from minority and majority sectarian coalitions to personalist autocratic and semi-democratic governments. The findings of this thesis can allow policymakers to identify the root causes of sectarian based conflicts more accurately. In addition, ethnic and sectarian identity groups can be influenced by politicians and potentially shaped by external actors under certain conditions outlined in the thesis.

The United States Air Force (USAF) has downsized an average of 10,000 active duty personnel each year from 1990 to 2010. Despite this downsizing, the mission remains the same, which increases the workload on the remaining airmen, lowers morale, decreases specialization, changes the mindset/culture, accelerates promotion rates, and shifts the dependence on technology in the Security Forces career field. The USAF needs adequately sized and proficient members to meet its mission. This phenomenological study examined the effects of USAF downsizing on the USAF Security Forces career field. The great man theory, social learning theory, theory of expertise, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs provided the conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews were gathered with a purposeful sample of 24 retired Security Forces members, near Air Combat Command bases; data were then analyzed through the Moustaukas modified van Kaam technique. The themes from this study were the cycle of downsizing; increased workload despite decreased number of personnel, also known as "more with less"; an accelerated promotion rate; and dependence on technology. The primary finding suggested the need for specialization and consistency of technology used. Further research on downsizing based on budgetary constraints, awareness of the loss of specializations after downsizing, and communication while downsizing could expand the findings of this study. The results of this study can be used by all leadership facing budgetary constraints and technology upgrades. Social change could ensue if leadership observes the cultural changes that occur when choosing to downsize and merge.

U.S. Army Regulations require soldiers to be fit, as excessive weight negatively impacts their readiness, health, and morale. A quantitative study examined if personal, behavioral, and/or environmental factors predict a soldier's self-efficacy and body mass index. Data were obtained from 117 soldiers on 6 scales: the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Army Physical Fitness Test, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Stress Management Questionnaire, the Lifestyle Assessment Inventory, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if personal (intellectual capabilities and physical fitness), behavioral (lifestyle and stress management), and/or environmental (supervisor leadership) factors predict self-efficacy and body mass index in a convenience sample of battalion personnel. The analysis showed that lifestyle and stress management behavioral factors predict self-efficacy, whereas physical fitness predicts body mass index. In addition, there were significant correlations between self-efficacy, personal factors, and behavioral factors; between personal factors, behavioral factors, and body mass index; and between behavioral and environmental factors. Positive social change implications include the U.S. Army using these findings to promote healthy lifestyles, reduce stress, and increase physical fitness among soldiers to achieve higher self-efficacy and a lower body mass index. These findings also suggest that the military services would see better physical readiness by considering personal, behavioral, and environmental factors to meet standards.

Research has captured a notable increase in the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the United States. This increase in ADHD diagnosis is also seen in children in military communities. A gap in the literature exists regarding how military deployment affects the presentation of ADHD symptoms of children aged 3 to 15 in military families. The study examined the effect of military deployment status on children aged 3 to 15 with symptoms of ADHD. Participants were 164 military families, representative of the diversity of the military, from military bases around Southern California. Each participant responded to 2 questionnaires: a demographic questionnaire and the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Patient Rating Scale for parents. The independent variable was military deployment status (deployment > 6 months, deployment < 6 months, or no deployment) within the previous 48 months. The dependent variable was ADHD symptoms. The covariates were ethnicity, family structure, and parents-age. Results of chi-square and hierarchical logistic regression analyses showed that there was no statistically significant relationship between parents-deployment status and ADHD symptoms of children. When covariates were added to the model, only older parental age predicted higher levels of symptoms in children. Results may be used to educate all involved parties and provide effective strategies, to enhance social development, and to compensate for periods of absence.

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Purpose: The purpose of this project is to increase the number of open patient appointments by implementing a validated process in which stabilized behavioral health patients are repatriated to primary care. Currently, there is an increased demand for behavioral health services and decreased supply of behavioral health clinicians at the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). Aims: This project aims to teach behavioral health providers how to identify appropriate patients and complete successful discharges while helping primary care providers integrate the repatriation process into their workflow. Without the proposed intervention, veterans initiating behavioral health services in the catchment area will continue to experience delays. Methods: The Knowledge to Action Framework is being used to adapt the process to the local context. All behavioral health and primary care clinicians at the Nashville VAMC are included in project knowledge dissemination. Data is collected by tracking the behavioral health discharge note within the site. The number of discharge notes per month will be analyzed by comparing the number of discharge notes from previous years to those after project implementation. Results: Results are ongoing, however preliminary results from January and February of 2022 look promising with a total of 35 discharge notes, compared to the six discharge notes from the same months in 2019, 11 in 2020, and 15 in 2021. Conclusion: Preliminary results are encouraging, as the number of successful discharges has significantly increased. This allows for more veterans with mental health needs to be served at the Nashville VAMC.

The United States Department of Defense spends billions of dollars annually on outsourcing functions to private contracted companies without knowing if their actions are effective. Guided by Feigenbaum, Henig, and Hamnett's theory of privatization and President Eisenhower's warnings of the impending military-industrial complex, the intent of this grounded theory study was to develop relevant theory regarding how the Department of Defense might accomplish missions through outsourcing during current and future fiscal constraints. This study sought to understand the perceived effectiveness of outsourcing Department of Defense functions through the perspectives of 2 employment groups directly affected by such outsourcing: federal employees and privately contracted employees. In this study, 24 federal employees and 20 privately contracted employees completed qualitative surveys about their perceptions of effectiveness in regards to outsourcing Department of Defense functions. Data were inductively analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding via constant comparison. Findings from this study generated a grounded theory, one positing that 2 distinct elements are important in outsourcing during fiscal constraint: well defined legal requirements and private sector technical expertise. Evidence from this study suggests that when these elements are in place, outsourced Department of Defense functions can progress, regardless of fiscal restrictions. The implications for social change include assisting political leaders with better decision making in support of effective national security policies, while providing good stewardship of tax payer funds.

Factors Influencing U.S. Army Personnel Meeting Body Mass Index Standards by Salma Theus MS, California State University, Dominguez Hills, 2008 BA, La Sierra University, 2005 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University September 2014 U.S. Army Regulations require soldiers to be fit, as excessive weight negatively impacts their readiness, health, and morale. A quantitative study examined if personal, behavioral, and/or environmental factors predict a soldier's self-efficacy and body mass index. Data were obtained from 117 soldiers on 6 scales: the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, the Army Physical Fitness Test, the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the Stress Management Questionnaire, the Lifestyle Assessment Inventory, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if personal (intellectual capabilities and physical fitness), behavioral (lifestyle and stress management), and/or environmental (supervisor leadership) factors predict self-efficacy and body mass index in a convenience sample of battalion personnel. The analysis showed that lifestyle and stress management behavioral factors predict self-efficacy, whereas physical fitness predicts body mass index. In addition, there were significant correlations between self-efficacy, personal factors, and behavioral factors; between personal factors, behavioral factors, and body mass index; and between behavioral and environmental factors. Positive social change implications include the U.S. Army using these findings to promote healthy lifestyles, reduce stress, and increase physical fitness among soldiers to achieve higher self-efficacy and a lower body mass index. These findings also suggest that the military services would see better physical readiness by considering personal, behavioral, and environmental factors to meet standards.