This qualitative study explored the domains of gender, ethnicity, and military association in a population of women veterans as these domains related to the women's access to and use of health care services and assessed barriers to the use of health services and suggestions for improving them. The study found that a significant proportion of the participants had experienced some form of gender discrimination in the military, through segregation or sexual harassment, and that their perceptions of the Veterans Administration health care system were framed by their military, ethnic/ racial, and gender experiences. Keywords: health care; qualitative research; veteran identity; women veteransWomen represent approximately 4% of the 27 million living U.S. veterans (Weiss, 1995). Women veterans, specifically young minority female veterans, are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population. In 1992, 35.3% of female veterans younger than age 35 were members of ethnic or racial minorities, compared to only 5.9% of those aged 55 and older (Department of Veterans Affairs, 1995). By 2040, women will make up 11% of the veteran population (General Accounting Office [GAO], 1992).Women played minor roles in the armed forces during the American Revolution and the wars of the 19th century, serving in positions ranging from kitchen workers to medical service workers (Holm,

This study aims to evaluate the factor structure and criterion validity of the English Language Acculturation Stress (ELAS) scale in a community-based sample of elderly Russian immigrants. The sample consists of 300 Russian immigrants with an equal number of females and males, from 59 to 93 years of age (Mean = 73.26, SD = 7.271). The majority of the respondents were married (72%) at the time the interviews were conducted. On average, the respondents have lived in the U.S. for about 7 years (SD = 3.00). We performed both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to ascertain the factor structure or conceptual dimensions of the 11-item ELAS scale. The findings revealed that this 11-item scale encompasses three dimensions: Basic English skills, survival English skills, and social involvement English skills. Correlation analyses of the scale with depression, physical health status, and length of residence suggest that the ELAS has good criterion validity and potential as a screening instrument of language acculturation stress for elderly Russian immigrants. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The American Heart Association estimates that 81% of people who die of coronary heart disease are 65 years old or older. The leading risk health behaviors include physical inactivity, poor diet, smoking and binge drinking. Using the 2011-2012 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), this study looked at how self-management, which includes a plan developed by a medical professional and the confidence to manage one's disease, may decrease negative risk behaviors in older adults. The presence of a plan and increased self-efficacy decreased engagement in negative dietary behaviors and low physical activity. Implications for strategies that address heart disease and self-management are discussed.

There is compelling evidence that caring for an elderly individual with functional limitations is physically and psychologically stressful. The purpose of this study is to test a multimodal caregiver intervention of ethnically and racially diverse caregivers. We sought to examine if caregivers (n=199) of older adults with physical and/or cognitive problems experienced improved depression and caregiver outcomes after participating in a community-based Caregiver Support/Training Program (CS/TP). Using a single group pretest--post-test design, caregiver depression decreased significantly. Specifically, caregivers were more likely to report higher positive affect at post-test. Although caregivers reported decreased caregiver burden, the difference was not statistically significant. One-way ANOVAs were also conducted to look at group differences. The findings of this study will help practitioners understand the importance of developing more targeted interventions that take specific ethnic and cultural characteristics of caregivers into consideration.

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