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.

Officially, women have been serving in the United States military since 1948 when President Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. Women currently make up approximately 8% of active duty military. Based on progress due to equality and equity, women are now occupying positions previously designated for men. Although women have made great strides in the military, there is limited research on women in the military or how their military service affects them. There is even less literature on women who have transitioned out of the military. For this reason, I conducted an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) with a focus on feminist theory to gather information about the lived experiences of women who have transitioned out of the military. Through the analysis portion, seven super-ordinate themes were established. Saturation requirements were met with four participants. This study will enhance the marriage and family therapy profession by providing better understanding on how to relate to this population while filling the gaps within the literature about women veterans and transition. Through this study, women veterans had a place in which their voices were heard.

The purpose of this study was to explore the transfer of soft skills of women veterans to their post military career in corporate America in order to support their career success by helping them market and utilize their soft skills and experience in their post military career, and to better understand the employability issues of women veterans. Thorndike and Woodworth’s (1901) Identical Elements Theory was used to better understand how women veterans transferred learning in one context (military) to another similar context (corporate America) and their identification, marketability, and utilization of these learned soft skills to the workforce. A narrative analysis was used in this study along with a triangulation method that included semi-structured interviews, review of the participants’ resumes, and review of their current job descriptions. Credibility, reliability, and external validity were maintained throughout the study with member checks, peer reviews, and reflexivity. Findings show that women veterans were able to identify soft skills innately associated with the military, and when prompted they articulated other military soft skills. They also viewed their transition experience unfavorably, and believed their collective military experience, education, and skills are not being considered by organizations in their post military career development. The data collected resulted in recommendations for improvements in the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), and the need for women veterans to maximize the identification, marketing, and utilization of their transferable soft skills in support of their reintegration, and ongoing career development needs.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2008. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 377-400). Also available online in Scholars' Bank; and in ProQuest, free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2010. / Title from screen (viewed on April 1, 2010). Department of Sociology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Carol Brooks Gardner, Carrie E. Foote, Lynn M. Pike. Includes vitae. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-74).

Background: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) encourages depression screening and treatment for pregnant veterans; however, rates of depression symptoms and treatment utilization during pregnancy have not been well-studied. Methods: We used data from the Maternity Care Coordination for Women Veterans cohort study. Specifically, our aims were to: 1) examine rates and correlates of depression symptoms in a sample of pregnant veterans; 2) understand mental health care treatment utilization and explore the experiences of veterans accessing mental health care at the VHA during pregnancy; and 3) examine VHA mental health provider's perspectives on depression screening and treatment in the perinatal period. Findings: Depression symptoms were present in 28% of pregnant veterans in our sample. Social support and employment decreased odds of symptoms; history of anxiety, antidepressant use, and active duty service resulted in increased odds of symptoms. Nearly 70% of women veterans with prenatal depression symptoms received at least one mental health visit or antidepressant prescription during pregnancy. However, symptomatic pregnant women without a history of depression were less likely to receive care. Mental health providers identified absence of screening protocols and referral procedures and variability in risk/benefit conversations surrounding antidepressant use as areas of weakness for VHA mental health care during the perinatal period. Conclusions: Depression symptoms were present in nearly one in every three pregnant veterans. Depression treatment during pregnancy is complex, requiring individualized care. Policies for depression screening, referrals to providers, and medication review could be better encouraged to improve standardized care across the VHA.