The current study used a sample of service members and veterans to explore the association of combat exposure and perceptions of the family system using a moderated mediation model. Combat veterans over the age of 18 with a family of creation (N = 154) completed an online survey through which they were administered a background information questionnaire, the Combat Experiences subscale of the Deployment Risk and Resilience Inventory – 2, the Moral Injury Events Scale, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, the Patient Health Questionnaire, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the McMaster Family Assessment Device, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale – Revised. Results of six moderated mediation analyses revealed that exposure to potentially morally injurious events (pMIEs) moderated the relationship between (1) combat exposure and couple relationship satisfaction and (2) combat exposure and family functioning, both via PTSS, anxious symptoms, and depressive symptoms. To our knowledge, the empirical models presented in this paper are the first to model the role of pMIEs in SMV literature, and provide a foundation for other models to emerge moving forward. Implications and limitations are discussed.

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The purpose of this research study was to explore female service members, reservists, and veterans feelings regarding service related trauma and what they want clinicians to know regarding treatment. This was a qualitative study that used a snowball sample to interview seven women; data collected was transcribed from recordings, analyzed, and categorized into themes. Qualitative themes included vulnerability, connection to clinician, and mental health stigma. Potential changes endorsed included understanding gender roles, clinician’s ability to build better therapeutic relationships, and decreasing mental health stigma. Limitations included not being able to generalize the study as service members, reservists, and veterans were not looked at independently from one another. Recommendations for the social work profession include upholding the dignity and worth of each client, understanding client’s perceptions, and advocating for policy changes. Future research will be fundamental in understanding how to provide better mental health treatment to females in combat military roles.

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of attachment processes and coping strategies in the development of psychiatric symptoms among military veterans and active duty personnel. Data were obtained from 268 male and female military veterans and active duty personnel. A path analysis was conducted to estimate the relationships between attachment processes, coping strategies, and psychiatric symptoms. Findings demonstrated that greater levels of attachment anxiety were related to increased levels of avoidant coping and psychiatric symptoms, while higher levels of attachment avoidance were related to avoidant coping and PTSD symptoms, as well as decreased levels of problem-focused coping. Alcohol use was associated with psychiatric symptoms. Avoidant coping, but not problem-focused coping, was associated with psychiatric symptoms and partially mediated the relationship between anxious attachment and psychiatric symptoms. Avoidant coping also fully or partially mediated the relationships of avoidant attachment to depression and PTSD symptoms. The findings of this study increase our knowledge of mechanisms that contribute to psychiatric symptoms among military populations, which in turn can guide treatment planning and interventions.

Sexual assault in the military is a large concern for the Department of Defense. They recognize it as an important and complex problem that needs to be addressed. In recent years, efforts have been initiated in order to improve the handling of sexual assault cases and data retention. An entirely new program has been created in order to address these cases. Focusing on the occurrence of same-sex assaults heightens the sensitivity of matters. This is due to the precarious and only very recent acceptance of homosexuals in the military. In the past, service members, homosexual or otherwise, may have been concerned with having any connection to homosexual acts. This is because such acts could result in removal from the military. However, in 2011 the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act went into effect. This act allowed for the open service of homosexuals in the military. Around this same time period, reports from the Department of Defense indicated a rise in the number of sexual assault reports. This thesis analyzes the affect that policies from the Department of Defense and legislation such as the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act have on reports of same-sex sexual assault in the military. Through research, this thesis finds that the enactments of various policies have had a measurable impact on treatment of same-sex sexual assault reports in the military, though not necessarily in the way certain media reports might suggest. This thesis also examines the history concerning homosexual service in the military, in order to provide a picture of the national attitudes towards homosexual service in the military, and why certain groups may blame the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender for this rise in reports.