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Veterans experience chronic pain at a rate twice higher than civilians. Brain fog (BF), a phenomenon of mental cloudiness associated with functional challenges in cognition, is one of the least studied symptoms of chronic pain. Pain interference, a construct of chronic pain, can limit participation with activities. Both BF and pain interference can disrupt quality of life (QoL) in Veterans by limiting health and meaningful participation. The relationship between BF and pain interference on QoL has not been investigated. Thus, the objective of this study is twofold: 1) understand the experience and 2) explore the impacts and the possible mitigation of pain interference of BF on the QoL, in Veterans with pain symptoms and BF. First, a qualitative descriptive method was employed using content and matrix analyses, to describe the impacts of brain fog on QoL in Veterans with BF and pain symptoms. The content analysis revealed the triggers, impacts, management strategies, and suggestions for healthcare professionals. The matrix analysis showed that women described difficulty managing BF with competing roles (e.g., motherly duties). Next, we conducted a cross-sectional study Veterans, exploring whether the perceived level of pain interference in Veterans with BF and pain symptoms affected measures of QoL. Results indicated Veterans with BF and high pain interference showed more mental health symptoms (p=0.003), and less perceived level of confidence with abilities (0.036) and physical health (p=0.003), than Veterans with BF and low pain interference. Post-hoc tests revealed no significant differences across gender. Next, to explore how QoL constructs we related, we performed an exploratory correlational analysis, revealing significant correlations between perceived level of confidence with abilities and 1) mental health (r=-0.48), 2) physical health (r=-0.44), and 3) functional cognition (-0.44). This study contributes to the overall knowledge of BF, guiding recommendations for the development of an assessment and research priorities. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS) / ‘Brain fog,’ a symptom seen in chronic pain, is described as feelings of mental cloudiness. Veterans may experience brain fog and pain symptoms more often than civilians. We wanted to learn about the experience of brain fog and how it affects the lives of Veterans with pain symptoms. First, we used a qualitative study to explore their experiences. Veterans told us about the impacts, triggers, and management strategies related to brain fog. Then, to understand the impact of brain fog on Veteran’s quality of life, three related factors were used (health-related quality of life, functional cognition, and perceived confidence with abilities), evaluated in terms of how much pain symptoms interfered with functioning. Veterans with brain fog and high pain interference had more mental health symptoms, and poorer physical health and confidence with their abilities. Overall, this study will hopefully provide some insight into how to better support Veterans.

The problem of placing patients in the homes of paid caretakers is multifarious and complex. Among the most basic of the questions facing the agency planning to place patients is: what kind of patient to place in what kind of a home? When stated criteria are lacking for the selection of patients for both types of settings from the same hospital, the social worker's judgments become the gauge by which selection is made. This situation prevails at the Veterans Administration Hospital at Gulfport, Mississippi. Delineation of the factors contributing to successful placement would be useful in the selection and preparation of patients for community placement. The data of this study are primarily related to the successful community placement made by sixty white male veterans. Answers were sought to the following questions by an analysis of the data collected on 34 descriptive items. (1) How does the literature present and describe halfway house and foster home care as a form of community placement for male veteran patients? (2) Do the 30 veteran patients who have made a successful adjustment in the foster home care differ significantly from the 30 veteran patients who have made a successful adjustment to halfway house care when distributed on 10 selected social or baseline characteristics? (3) Do any of the 9 hospital and 8 military items significantly differentiate the patients in foster home care from the patients in halfway house care? (4) How do the 7 community placement adjustment items differentiate the two sub-samples? / Typescript. / "June, 1961." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work." / Advisor: Dorothy D. Hayes, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 65-66).

"The purpose of this study was to discover some psychosocial characteristics of fifty out-patients who re-opened their cases two or more times, and to investigate the extent of change that some of these psychosocial characteristics underwent, by comparing the data collected at the first intake interview with the data collected at the latest intake interview"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1959." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work." / Advisor: William L. Leap, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references.

"The focus of this study is the operation of the Rehabilitation and Hospital Industries Program in effect at the Veterans Administration Hospital, Coral Gables, Florida. More specifically, the study will be focused on the inter-related and interacting professional roles of the team members involved in administering the Program. A review of the literature pertaining to the development of the idea of work as a method of therapy in the rehabilitation of the mental patient will be presented. Interviews with the five team members--Physician, Coordinator, Social Worker, Clinical Psychologist, and Counselling Psychologist--who comprise the study group, will be presented and used as a basis of inductive analysis. The professional roles will be described in detail, both self-perceptions and perceptions of other members of the team"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1959." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work." / Advisor: David L. Levine, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references.

"The purpose of this study was to identify some of the distinguishing characteristics in the backgrounds of patients who presented problems in connection with their hospital discharge (and were thus referred to Social Work Service for discharge planning) from those who did not present such problems. At the Veterans Administration Hospital, Coral Gables, Florida, the economic, social and military factors of 50 patients referred to Social Work Service were compared with those of 50 patients who left the hospital without needing help with discharge planning. Records were kept concerning the number and type of interviews which the social worker had with the fifty patients and/or their family members in order to effect their discharge. The diagnoses and length of stay of these 100 patients were tabulated for the purpose of comparison also. It is hoped that this information will be of value in the future in improving discharge planning techniques, in reducing length of hospital stay for greater utilization of beds, and in obtaining the ultimate in rehabilitation for such patients"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "June, 1961." / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work." / Advisor: Dorothy D. Hayes, Professor Directing Study. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-62).

Thesis (M.H.S.A.)--University of Michigan, 1980.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, 2008. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-80).

Thesis (M.H.S.A.)--University of Michigan, 1980.

Benefits for soldiers follow the formation of ancient and present day armies raised for the purpose of extending the national or state will. Veterans' benefits for defenders of the U.S. emerged during the American colonial period. College benefits began after WWII with the GI Bill of Rights. This study examines the variations in purpose for nationally established educational benefits for veterans and the singular value to the veterans of these 5educational benefits. The study begins with an overview of the history of veterans' benefits. Primary emphasis is then placed on the educational portion of the World War II Servicemen's Readjustment Act and the current educational benefit, the Montgomery GI Bill. As the purpose of awarding educational benefits changed from World War II to the latest U.S. war, the Gulf War of 1990-1991, the economic value to the individual veteran also changed. The WWII GI Bill featured an educational provision intended to keep returning veterans out of the changing economy whereas current GI Bills is intended as a recruiting incentive for an all-volunteer force. Correspondingly, the economic value to the individual veteran has changed. Data supporting this study were extracted from historical documents in primary and secondary scholarly studies and writings, government documents, national newspapers and periodicals, Veterans Administration publications, service newspapers, and anecdotal writings. The study offers conclusions regarding the shifting purposes and economic value and recommends changes to current and future GI Bills. The conclusions of this study are: (a) the purpose of the Montgomery GI Bill is to serve as a recruitment tool for the armed force, whereas the WWII GI Bill emphasized concern over the return of millions of veterans to a changing wartime economy unable to offer full employment and, (b) the present GI Bill funds less than 50% of the costs for a 4-year degree while the first GI Bill fully funded a college degree, including tuition and living expenses.