Accommodating Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in the Academic Setting

Psychosocial Characteristics of Student Veterans with Service-Related Disabilities: Implications for Further Research and Occupational Therapy Involvement

“…This means they reported being frequently bothered by experiences like not wanting to do things they used to enjoy, feeling hopeless, having little energy, trouble concentrating, and feeling like they are a failure. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptomatology has been positively related to feelings of alienation on campus, which has been reported as an issue in several studies with student veterans (Elliot et al, 2011;Glover-Graf et al, 2010;Tomar and Stoffel, 2014). Meanwhile depression has been linked to occupational performance deficits and challenges in interpersonal relationships (Plach & Sells, 2013;Rogers, Malinson, & Peppers, 2014).…”

“…Our quantitative, matched subjects approach also lends objective support to existing qualitative studies describing challenges facing student veterans. Studies such as Glover-Graf et al (2010) and Tomar and Stoffel (2014) have done an effective job representing the lived experience of student veterans. Our findings express in a quantifiable and objective manner how much these experiences differ from that of nonveteran students in terms of mental health, meaning, and activity engagement outcomes.…”

“…In a 2011 study with student veterans Elliot, Gonzalez, and Larsen found PTSD and combat exposure to be positively related to feelings of alienation from the campus community. Other studies have reported that post-9/11 veterans often feel stigmatized and offended by inappropriate questions and insensitive remarks of classmates and professors (Burnett & Segoria, 2009;Elliott et al, 2011;Glover-Graf, Miller, & Freeman, 2010). Additionally, hyper-arousal symptoms may cause veterans to be distracted in class (Rumann & Hamrick, 2010).…”

“…They also found PTSD and depression were inversely related to meaning in life. Considering findings that student veterans reported difficulty finding joy and meaning in their lives and felt emotionally detached, alienated, and isolated, it follows that meaning and purpose in life is likely an important and under-investigated construct in this population (Glover-Graf et al, 2010).…”

“…This is a far cry from the feelings of stigma and isolation felt by many veterans on today's college campuses (Burnett & Segoria, 2009;Elliott et al, 2011;Glover-Graf et al, 2010). Kim and Cole (2014) found that veterans participated in less co-curricular, social, and relaxing activities than nonveteran students.…”