Building Connections through Sport and Physical Activity for Ill and Injured Military Members and Veterans: Determining the Optimal Time for Program Involvement

Coulthard, Julie; Therrien, Megan E.

doi:10.1080/21635781.2021.2007185

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…For the veterans who participated in the current study, there were perceptions that programs such as the IPP would be ideal for anyone who had been injured during service or was transitioning out of Defence, and further, that this particular program should be introduced prior to veterans leaving the Defence force. The timing of engagement agrees in part with other work that suggests transitioning members should be notified of the availability of a support program during the period between their notification of release from service and their actual release [ 33 ]. The same study identified that for veterans who had transitioned from service, four-to-five years post-transition was the ideal time to engage in a program of this type [ 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…The timing of engagement agrees in part with other work that suggests transitioning members should be notified of the availability of a support program during the period between their notification of release from service and their actual release [ 33 ]. The same study identified that for veterans who had transitioned from service, four-to-five years post-transition was the ideal time to engage in a program of this type [ 33 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

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The physical, psychological, and social impacts of participation in the Invictus Pathways Program: A qualitative analysis of veterans’ perceptions and experiences

Post,

Baker,

Milanese

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Introduction UniSA’s Invictus Pathways Program (IPP) is motivated by the spirit of the Invictus Games to mobilise the benefits of sport to aid physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. Originally developed to assist veterans to train for and participate in the Invictus Games, the program has extended its scope to promote recovery and wellbeing for all veterans through physical activity. This paper describes the expectations and experiences of the IPP from the perspective of program participants. Methods Objective measures of physical and psychological wellbeing were collected by survey, to enable description of the participating veterans’ wellbeing status. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants of the IPP who had not participated in an Invictus Games or Warrior Games. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview data. Coding and themes were developed through a mixture of inductive and deductive approaches to analysis. Initial themes related to previous life experience, expectations of participation, and outcomes of participation were preconceived, but the analysis provided scope for an inductive approach to formulate additional themes. Findings Five of the participants had very high K10 scores, and scores above the norm for PCL-C, whilst one would be classified with an alcohol disorder. The qualitative analysis identified five higher order themes: Life experiences prior to participation in the IPP, Making a choice to participate in the IPP, Expectations of participation in the IPP, Impact of participation in the IPP, and Future Plans. There were perceptions that the IPP was beneficial for the participating veterans, irrespective of their physical and psychological health status. Participants described the positive impact of the IPP on their physical fitness, their social engagement, and their sense of belonging within the IPP and the university. Participants perceived the IPP to be an opportunity for them to ‘give back’ by contributing to the education of the students delivering the IPP. Participants reported the intention to continue being physically active. For some, this meant selection in an Invictus Games team, for others, this meant getting involved in community sporting organisations. Conclusion The Invictus Pathways Program has been shown to have a positive impact on the physical and psychological wellbeing of the veterans who participated in its initial stages. As the program evolves, the longitudinal impact of participation, for veterans and their families, will be assessed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

The physical, psychological, and social impacts of participation in the Invictus Pathways Program: A qualitative analysis of veterans’ perceptions and experiences

Post,

Baker,

Milanese

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Community-based physical activity promotion confers broad-spectrum benefits for military veterans with chronic and complex conditions: evidence from 4 years of rehabilitation consultant referrals

Clanchy,

Hill,

Fenning

et al. 2023

BMJ Mil Health

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IntroductionVeterans experience a high incidence of chronic and complex health conditions requiring a holistic approach to health and well-being. The Adapted Physical Activity Program (APAP) is a theory-based programme developed to support the physical activity (PA) participation of community-dwelling people with disabilities. Although available to all people with disabilities, of the 214 clients referred between 2015 and 2019, two hundred and three were veterans. This study aimed to understand this unexpected predominance by describing the characteristics of the veterans referred to APAP, including client goals, as well as describing the characteristics of the rehabilitation consultants who made the referrals.MethodsDescriptive statistics were used to describe specific characteristics of the veterans and the rehabilitation consultants. Content analysis was used to analyse client goals.ResultsClient data highlighted the complexity of this clinical population. All clients had been diagnosed with more than one health condition, with most experiencing both a physical injury and a mental health diagnosis. Content analysis revealed six overarching client goals, including supporting sustainable PA participation, mental health and well-being, participation in meaningful activities, community and social engagement, management of condition and physical health and fitness. Data from the referring organisations showed that each organisation had multiple health professionals that made repeated referrals to APAP. The most common health profession to make a referral to APAP was occupational therapy.ConclusionVeterans have a high incidence of chronic and complex health conditions including physical injury and mental illness. Programmes and services that look beyond addressing the diagnosis and treatment of specific conditions to supporting the overall health and well-being of the individual are required. Person-centred, community-based PA programmes such as APAP might offer this solution. Further research is required to assess the efficacy of such programmes with this population.

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Building Connections through Sport and Physical Activity for Ill and Injured Military Members and Veterans: Determining the Optimal Time for Program Involvement

Cited by 2 publications

References 23 publications

The physical, psychological, and social impacts of participation in the Invictus Pathways Program: A qualitative analysis of veterans’ perceptions and experiences

The physical, psychological, and social impacts of participation in the Invictus Pathways Program: A qualitative analysis of veterans’ perceptions and experiences

Community-based physical activity promotion confers broad-spectrum benefits for military veterans with chronic and complex conditions: evidence from 4 years of rehabilitation consultant referrals

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