Veteran Health and Psychology: Annotated Bibliography

McNamara, K. A., Lucas, C. L., Goldbach, J. T., Kintzle, S., & Castro, C. A. (2019). Mental health of the bisexual veteran.Military Psychology,31(2), 91-99.

The authors of this paper assert that the mental disparities between lesbian/ gay veterans and heterosexual veterans can be attributed to bisexual veterans. They point to their research findings, which showed insignificant differences in depression risks between lesbian/gay veterans and heterosexual veterans. However, when they considered bisexual veterans, LGB veterans (lesbians, gays, and bisexuals) had a higher risk of depression than heterosexual veterans. The authors also compared the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) between bisexual and heterosexual veterans and between bisexual and lesbian/gay veterans. In both instances, bisexual veterans had a higher risk of PTSD. Given these findings, they concluded that bisexual individuals should be assessed as a distinct group in future mental health studies. The majority of the existing studies have combined bisexual veterans with gay and lesbian veterans.

This article is an excellent resource because it provides helpful information on mental health in sexual minority veterans and instruments for measuring depression and PTSD. This study suggests that bisexual veterans have a higher risk of mental health problems (depression and PTSD) compared to other sexual orientations groups. That is heterosexual and lesbian/ gay veterans. The authors used Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure depression because it has better psychometric properties. They also used the PTSD Checklist (PCL-C and PCL-5) to measure PSTD symptoms because it is recommended for use with military veterans.

Gorman, J. A., Scoglio, A. A., Smolinsky, J., Russo, A., & Drebing, C. E. (2018). Veteran coffee socials: A community-building strategy for enhancing community reintegration of veterans.Community mental health journal,54(8), 1189-1197.

The authors of this article use individual and group case descriptions to illustrates how Veterans Coffee Socials enhance community reintegration for returning veterans. Veterans Coffee Social is a trans-diagnostic intervention designed to enhance social capital and social support, promote peer-to-peer education, and promote community development. Individual cases describe three veterans from diverse backgrounds. The first case was a 28- year-old Caucasian female (Greta) who had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Greta was post- 9/11 Army combat veteran. The second case was 68- year-old Caucasian male (Jared) who has PTSD and neuropathic pain. He is a Vietnam-era combat veteran. The third and last individual case was a 24-year-old Hispanic male (Mike) with a substance abuse problem. Mike served in the Navy. At the end of this study, Jared, Greta, and Mike expanded their community and gained social support after attending Coffee Social events. It means Coffee Social provides a platform where veteran attendees can develop social connections, share useful information, learn about existing resources.

Group cases describe three Veteran Coffee Socials in different communities:...

The goal of Group A was to facilitate social support. The veterans in this group participated in more social and reactional activities outside the Coffee Social events. Group B was made up of veterans looking for a sense of connection. Their attendance grew rapidly because veterans have a strong desire for connection. Peer specialists formed and facilitated. Group C, but withdrew after the group becomes self-sustainable. In all the groups, the average number of veteran attendees increased. Therefore, these groups' case best illustrates how Veterans Coffee Social serves to empower veterans to build healthy communities. Based on these findings, Veteran Coffee Socials can be used to build community and enhance social support.

This article provides a foundation for understanding how trans-diagnostic interventions such as Veterans Coffee Socials can support community reintegration programs for returning clients. Trans-diagnostic interventions are designed to "engage...

…symptoms of SUD and PTSD participated in the study. They were recruitment from internet and newspaper advertisement, Veteran Affairs (VA) treatment clinics, and flyers posted in local colleges and mental health clinics. Most of the participants were male (90.9%), and the remaining 9.1% were female. Their average age and years of education were 41.7 years and 13.8 years, respectively.

The authors collected data using the following instruments: 1) CAPS, 2) DRRI, 3) PCL-M, 4) MINI, and 4) TLFB. CAPS is a clinician-rated scale for diagnosing PTSD. The DRRI assess predeployment, active duty, and post-deployment factors in returning veterans. MINI is a clinician-rated diagnostic interview from assessing psychiatric disorders like SUDs. PCL-M is a 17-item questionnaire for assessing the severity of PTSD symptoms. TFLB measures daily substance use. All the instruments are reliable because they have excellent internal consistency.

Results showed that social support has a significant relation to SUD and PTSD symptoms. That is, social support has a significant negative relation with PTSD symptoms and significant positive relation with SUD (alcohol use). The findings regarding the relationship between social support and alcohol use are inconsistent with existing literature. Despite these facts, the findings highlight the significance of social support in veterans with PTSD symptoms.

This article provides a good foundation for understanding the relations among social support, PTSD symptoms, and alcohol use in veterans. It also defines PTSD, which is necessary for understanding veteran health.

References

Gorman, J. A., Scoglio, A. A., Smolinsky, J., Russo, A., & Drebing, C. E. (2018). Veteran coffee socials: A community-building strategy for enhancing community reintegration of veterans.Community mental health journal,54(8), 1189-1197.

Gros, D. F., Flanagan, J. C., Korte, K. J., Mills, A. C., Brady, K. T., & Back, S. E. (2016). Relations among social support, PTSD symptms, and substance use in veterans.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,30(7), 764.

Lostutter, T. W., Neighbors, C. R.,…